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Glass_^ 

Book  -iv^  7 


2- 


Rhode    Island 

Historical  Society 
Collections 


Vol.  XXIII 


January,  1930 


No.  1 


Head  of  in  cspontoon,  a  sort  of  halhcrd  or  pike,  which  was  carifcd      Vj,' 
hv   the  c-ommissioncd  officers  of  the   Rhode    Island   militia   in   the   eigh-  -  / 

teenth  centur\-.    hi  (ke  Society's  museinn.  '^ 


Issued  Quarterly 


68  Waterman  Street,  Providence.  Rhode  Island 


'Mm 


CONTENTS 


Head  of  an  Espontoon Cover 

Foreclosure  of  Mortgage  by  Suit  of  Trespass  and 
Ejectment 

by  Oscar  F.  Stetson 1 

The  Samuel  Sewall  School  Land 

by  William  Davis  Miller        ....  4 

A  German  Gardener  at  Newport  in  1754          .        .  10 

Mielatz'  Rhode  Island  Pictures         .        .        .        .  13 

Notes 15 

The  Gaspee  Commission  Box 19 

Captain  Paine  of  Cajacet 19 


RHODE 
HISTORICAL 


ISLAND 

SOCIETY 


COLLECTIONS 


Vol.  XXIII 


January,  1930 


No.  1 


Claude  R.  Branch,  President 
Howard  W.  Preston,  Secretary 


Gilbert  A.  Harrington,  Treasurer 
Howard  M.  Chapin,  Librarian 


Xhe    S()ciet\'     assumes    no    respnnsihilitx     tor    the    ^tatel^eIlts    or    the 
opinions  of  contributors. 


Foreclosure  of  Mortrag^e  by  Suit  of 
Trespass  and  Ejectment 

By  (^scAR  ['\  Stetson 

In  examining  records  of  the  Superior  and  Supreme 
Ccjurts  of  Bristol  County  recently,  covering  the  period 
from  1  740  on,  we  disco\'ered  a  large  number  of  suits  for 
Trespass  and  Ejectment  where  the  sum  named  in  the  ad 
damnum  seemed  unusually  large,  so  large,  in  fact,  that  is 
raised  the  question  as  to  how  such  an  amount  could  be  in- 
volved in  a  suit  of  this  nature  at  that  period  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  state,  especially  as  the  description  of  the  land 
in  question  would  not  seem  to  warrant  the  amount  of 
money  named.  Often  a  house  lot  of  a  quarter  of  an  acre 
with  a  dwelling  on  it  would  carry  an  aci  damnum  of  four 
or  five  thousand  dollars. 

In  an  examination  of  the  papers  filed  with  the  case  we 
found  the  explanation.  There,  filed  in  e\'idence,  was  a 
warrantv  deed  with  the  fi)llowinu  condition  written  at  the 


2  KHODK  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

bottom  of  the  instrument:  "The  condition  of  this  convey- 
ance is  a  note  of  hand  given  by  the  grantor  to  the  grantee 
which,  when  and  if  paid,  renders  this  conveyance  null  and 
void  and  of  no  effect." 

Thus  the  suit  for  Trespass  and  Ejectment  was  the  popu- 
lar way  of  that  time  for  foreclosing  a  mortgage.  It  will  be 
noted  that  there  was  no  specification  in  the  warranty  deed 
or  mortgage  deed  as  it  really  was,  as  to  foreclosure;  no 
time  noted  for  the  payment  of  the  "note  of  hand":  no 
default  clause  or  period  of  default  when  foreclosure  action 
could  be  commenced;  no  advertising  required;  no  sale  de- 
manded, either  public  or  private,  on  the  premises  or  else- 
where; in  fact,  no  one  of  the  requirements  that  make  fore- 
closure of  a  mortgage  legal  to  pass  title  today. 

In  other  words,  Hezekiah  Usher  mortgaged  his  prop- 
erty to  William  Richardson,  thus  conveving  to  Richard- 
son good  title  by  a  warranty  deed  with  a  condition  of  re- 
demption so  worded  in  its  breadth  that  Richardson  could 
seize  the  premises  at  any  time  that  he  pleased,  depending 
only  on  the  time  named  in  the  "note  of  hand."    And  if 
the  "note  of  Hand"  was  a  demand  note,  the  mortgage,,-  was 
entirely  at  the  niercy  of  the  mortgagee,  the   n^iortgagee 
having  perfect  right  to  take  the  premises  mortgaged,  at 
his  pleasure.   At  that  time,  whenever  it  was,  that  the  mort- 
gagee concluded  that  he  wished  to  have  the  actual  pos- 
session of  the  premises  for  which  he  held  a  warranty  deed, 
therefore  he  came  into  Court  and  recited  that  he  had  a 
warranty  deed  of  the  property  in  question,  and  produced 
the  deed  in  evidence,  and  stated  that  the  conditions  of  the 
deed  had  not  been  fulfilled  by  the  mortgagor,  and  in  con- 
sequence the  mortgagor  was  a  trespasser  on  his,  the  mort- 
gagee's, premises  and  he  wanted  him  ejected.    The  mort- 
gagor, not  having  paid  his  note,  and  being  either  unable  or 
unwilling  to  do  so  at  the  time,  had  no  answer,  the  evidence 
of  the  deed  coupled  with  the  lack  of  evidence  of  payment 
of  the  "note  of  hand"  being  conclusive  proof  against  him. 
Therefore  there  was  no  reason  for  his  appearance  in  Court 


l-OKIUI.OSlRi-:   Ol"    MOKKiACiK 


and  he  was  adjudged  in  default  and  the  Sheriff  was  di- 
rected to  pn)ceed  to  eject  him  from  the  premises  and  de- 
liver the  pn)pert\-  to  the  mortgagee  who  already  held  a 
proper  deed  for  it.  The  average  cost  of  this  proceeding 
appears  to  ha\e  been  about  $-(-.85. 

The  following  is  an  abstract  of  an  actual  case  taken  from 
the  Bristol  record: 

Bristol  Januar\-  Term  1767. 
William  Richardson  of  Newport 

\'S 

Hezekiah  Lusher  of  Bristol 
Action  of  Trespass  and  Kjectment. 

Recites  a  certain  lot  of  land  in  Bristol  containing  by  estmia- 
tion  3/4  acre  with  a  dwelling  house  and  other  buildmgs 
thereon  standing  and  bcmncied: 
westerly  on  Hope  Street 
northerly  on  King  Street 
easterly  on  land  of  John  Howland 

southerly  partly  on  land  of  John  Waldron,  now  of  Bill- 
ings Throop,  and  partly  on  land  of  Peleg  Barker. 
Ad  damnum  £120. 
Defendant  suffered  default. 
Judgment  for  the  Plaintiff"  to  recover  the  premises. 

In  the  papers  hied  with  the  case  is  the  original  deed 
with  the  "note  of  hand"  condition  making  it  a  mortgage 
deed,  from  Hezekiah  Usher  to  William  Richardson  of 
New^port  for  £1550  old  tenor  money  (in  the  margin  is 
WTitten  "£66-8s-l>^d  lawful  money").  This  deed  is  re- 
corded in  Bristol  Land  Evidences,  book  4  at  page  96. 

It  will  be  noted  that  all  this  action  has  taken  place  in 
the  C(jurt  and  that  change  of  ownership  has  occurred,  or 
perhaps  we  should  say  change  of  possession  has  occurred, 
without  anv  necessary  record  on  the  Tand  E\-idences.  The 
title  examiner  is  faced  with  the  fact  that  a  mortgagee  is 
deeding  out  certain  premises  as  having  good  title  without 
an\-  Land   Evidence  record  of  either  foreclosure  of  his 


4  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

mortgage  or  a  deed  of  sale  to  him  by  the  mortgagor  who 
was  the  last  record  owner.  This  has  led  many  an  examiner 
to  conclude  that  there  must  have  been  an  unrecorded  deed 
of  some  form.  Much  anxiety  has  arisen  over  this  cloud  in 
title,  and  much  time  and  money  has  been  spent  in  hunting 
up  inortgagors  heirs  and  securing  proper  releases. 

We  examined  carefully  the  Court  records  fron^  1740  to 
1903  and  found  upwards  of  two  hundred  fifty  of  these 
foreclosures  in  Bristol  County  coming  down  as  late  as  the 
middle  of  the  eighteen  hundreds.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  in  consulting  a  number  of  practicing  attorneys  in  the 
state  of  all  ages,  not  one  knew  that  such  a  practice  ever 
existed  in  Rhode  Island. 


The  Samuel  Sewall  School  Land  and  the 
Kingston  Academy 

By  William  Davis  Miller 

On  the  fourth  day  of  February,  1695'  Samuel  Sewall 
of  Boston  and  Hannah,  his  wife,  daughter  of  John  Hull, 
the  mint  master  and  one  of  the  original  Pettaquamscutt 
Purchasers,  "for  and  in  consideration  of  the  special  trust 
and  confidence  that  they  have  and  repose  in  .  .  .  John  Wal- 
ley  .  .  .  and  for  Love,  Kindness  and  Goodwill  which  they 
bear  to  the  Inhibitants  of  the  Town  of  Pettaquamscutt,  in 
the  Narragansett  Country,  otherwise  called  King's  Prov- 
ince, as  well  English  as  Indians  and  their  posterity  .  .  .  and 
towards  the  encouragement  of  Literature  and  good  Edu- 
cation and  the  maintenance  of  a  Learned,  Sober  and  Or- 
thodox School  Master  in  the  said  Town  .  .  ."  gave,  under 
trusteeship  of  John  Walley,  five  hundred  acres  of  land, 
being  the  western  portion  of  Sewall's  lot  numbered  fcjur  in 


'North  Ki/it^itrKu/  Laud  Evideiire,  Book  2,  p.   167. 


Till-:    SAMIKI.    SKWAI.I.    SfHOOI.    LAND  5 

the  north  western  part  of  the  Pettaquumscutt  Purchase, 
the  eastern  portion  of  which  Sewall  deeded  to  Harvard 
College,  a  year  hiter,  and  from  the  benefits  of  which  the 
Sewall  Scholarships  are  still  awarded. 

The  revenue  from  the  School  lands  was  to  be  collected 
by  Walley  from  which  Sewall  was  to  be  paid  sixpence  and 
the  remai'ncier  to  be  employed  in  "procuring,  settling,  sup- 
porting and  n-iaintaining"  the  beforementioned  much- 
qualified  school  master  who  was  to  teach  "the  children 
and  youths  of  the  . . .  Town  of  Pettaquamscutt,  as  well  Eng- 
lish there  settled,  or  to  be  settled,  as  Indians,  the  Aborig- 
inal Natives  and  Proprietors  of  the  Place,  to  read  and 
write  the  English  Language  and  the  Rules  of  Gram- 
mar   "  They  then  provided  that  the  choice  of  the  school 

master  and  the  site  of  the  school  rest  in  Samuel  Sewall  and 
his  wife,  during  their  lives,  and  after  their  death,  in  the 
Minister  of  the  Third  Church  in  the  Town  of  Boston 
and  the  Town  Treasurer  for  that  Town. 

judge  Sewall  died  January  1,  1729-30,  anci,  his  wife 
Hanna'h  having  predeceased  him,  there  is  no  evidence  that 
prior  to  his  death  he  had  exercised  the  right  in  the  choice 
of  a  school  master  or  in  the  site  for  the  school  building. 
The  duties,  therefore,  fell  upon  the  Minister  of  the  Third 
Church  and  the  Town  Treasurer  for  Boston. 

Major  John  Walley,  in  whom  the  trust  rested,  had  also 
died  before  Judge  Sewall.  It  would  appear  that  his  son 
and  executor,  John  Walley,  continued  the  trust  but  after 
Judge  SewalP's  death,  he  allowed,  either  because  of  dis- 
interest on  his  part  or  because  of  the  lack  of  industry  of  the 
tenant  or  tenants,  the  lands  to  fall  into  a  deplorable  state 
of  neglect.  As  a  result  the  Town  of  North  Kingstown  in 
1732^  appointed  William  Spencer  and  Nicholas  Gardner 
to  view  the  land  and  report  its  condition.  The  report, 
dated  No\  ember  27,  1732,  states  that  the  land  was  leased 
in  1718  to  Benoni  Sweet  of  North  Kingstown,  for  fourteen 


-'Copy  in  Potter  Papers. 


O  KHODK  ISLAXD  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

years,  who  evidentJy  was  far  from  a  good  tenant  for  the 
Spencer  and  Gardner  report  stated,  "We  find  on  Sd.  Land 
a  Small  poor  Orchard  with  Eighty-Eight  Small  Aple 
Trees  and  A  very  poor  fence  about  them,  and  down  to  the 
Ground  m  Several  places,  and  in  Said  Orchard  a  Small 
Stone  Chm-iny  but  no  house  on  Sd.  Land 5  and  to  the 
Cleanng  of  Sd.  Land  we  find  Some  that  has  been  plowed 
but  the  brush  is  got  up  in  Bunches  ...  we  find  the  Timber 
Cutt  and  gon  off  Said  Land  in  Spots,  and  as  to  fence  on 
Said  farme  we  finde  none  of  any  Vallew  .   .   .   ." 

It   IS   not   to   be    wondered   at,    therefore,    that    fudge 
SewalPs  son,  Samuel,  in  1736  wrote  to  the  Reverend  Do'c- 
tor  Joseph  Torrey,'  the  Congregational  Minister  at  Tower 
Hill,  saying  "My  Hon'd  Fathers  Gift  of  500  Acres  of  Land 
for  the  Promotion  of  a  School  I  have  been  much  concerned 
in  my  mind  about  the  Settlement  of  it.   I  did  the  last  Week 
go  with  Mr.  Hammon  to  Mr.  Walley  &  we  find  by  dis- 
coursing with  him  that  he  will  not  meddle  with  it  nor  have 
anything  more  to  do  with  it.    I  told  him  I  would  take  a 
Letter  of  Attorney  from  him  &  act  in  the  Affair.    He  de- 
clined It  &  said  he  would  assign  it  over  to  me  if  I  would 
see  him  satisfied  what  he  had  Expended  which  is  Nine  or 
Ten  pounds.   I  have  promised  to  give  him  satisfaction.   He 
with  Majr.  Walley's  Heirs  will  assign  it  over  to  me  &  my 
Heirs — "    Having  so  succeeded  in  obtaining  control  of 
the  land  young  Sewall  leased  it  to  a  "Mr.  Astin'"  for 
fourteen  years  upon  consideration  that  he  build  a  house 
and  clear  four  acres  every  year  until  fiftv  acres  of  land 
be  cleared  and  fenced  in.   Sewall  concludes"  with  the  hope: 
"I  shall  rejoyce  to  hear  that  what  is  done  may  be  to  satis- 
faction &  that  it  may  be  in  order  to  make  it  profitable  for 
the  end  assigned." 

Sewall  did  not  remain  in  the  Colonies  to  see  his  hope 
fulfilled  for  on  July  1,   1775,  being  an  ardent  Tory,  he 

^Original  in  the  Potter  Papers. 
^Austin. 


THE    SAMUEL    SKWAI.L    SCHOOL    LAND  7 

left  for  iMigland.     l-'or  this  rc:ist)n   in    1780   process  was 
commenced  before  the  Supreme  Court  to  have  the  School 
Lands  confiscated  as  being  the  property  of  Samuel  Sewall, 
a  Tory  refugee.   The  process  was  dismissed  the  following 
year,  April  1781,  on  the  ground  that  the  beneficial  estate 
in  the  land  was  in  the  people  of  the  Pettaquamscutt  Pur- 
chase.-''  The  title  of  the  land  ha\ing  been  assured,  on  May 
30,  1781,  Joseph  Eckley,  Minister  of  the  Third  Church 
in  Boston  and  Da\'id  Jeffries,  Treasurer  of  the  Town  of 
Boston  wrote  the  following  resolution:'    "Whereas  by  a 
deed  from  Samuel  Sewal  Esqr  of  Boston  &  Hanah   his 
wife  bearing  date  4  February,   1695,  for  the  purpose  of 
settling,  supporting  &  maintaining  a  learned,  sober  &  or- 
thodox school  master  in  the  Town  formerly  called  Pettas- 
quamscut,  it  appears  that  we  the  subscribers  are  author- 
ized to  appoint  a  place  where  the  school  house  may  be 
built,  &  it  appearing  to  us  that  it  may  be  convenient  that 
it  should  be  near  the  meeting  house,  we  do  hereby  appoint 
that  the  School  house  be  erected  on  the  lot  of  land  for- 
merly left  bv  Samuel  Sewal  &  Hannah,  his  wife,  for  the 
purpose  of  building  a  meeting  House  in  the  said  town  of 

Pettasquamscut. 

Joseph  Eckley,  Minister 

Of  the  Third  Church  in  Boston 

David  Jeffries,  Treas"" 

of  the  Town  of  Boston. 

Boston  30  May  1781" 

This  land,  containing  from  one  to  one  and  one  half 
acre,  was  deeded^  bv  the  Sewalls  to  Nathaniel  Niles  as. 
trustee,  on  "this  Three  &  Twentieth  day  of  September 


^Note  bv  Elisha  R.  Potter,  Jr. 

'■■This  resolution  is  endorsed  "From  Dr.  Torrev."    The  original  from 
the  Potter  Papers. 

'Sotah  Kingstozcn  Land  Ez-idence,  Book  II,  pp.  1  S3-1  ^+. 


O  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Anno  Domini  one  thousand  Seven  Hundred  and  Seven 
Annoque  Regni  Anne  Regine  Angiia  &c  Sexto".  It  is  sit- 
uated on  Tower  Hill  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  Post  Road 
and  on  the  southerly  side  of  the  road  leading  down  the  hill 
to  the  Pettaquamscutt  or  Narrow  River,  or  as  designated 
in  the  original  deed  as  the  road  "across  the  Hill  Toward 
the  Ferry."  There  is  but  slight  trace  of  the  building  which 
stood  there  but  the  old  grave  yard  marks  the  place.  Sewall 
referred  to  the  proposed  gift  in  his  diary  under  Septeniber 
20,  1  706,  a  year  before  the  deed. 

This  small  lot  of  land  has,  on  several  occasions,  been 
confused  with  large  tract  of  three  hundred  acres  laid  out 
by  the  Pettaquamscutt  Purchasers  in  1668  and  which,  for 
fear  of  naming  a  specific  denomination,  the  Purchasers  set 
down  on  the  plat  and  records  as  simply  "to  the  Ministry". 
This  caution,  in  fact,  provokedexactly  what  it  was  intended 
to  prevent,  a  long  controversy  for  possession  between  the 
Church  of  England  and  the  Congregational  Church. 
However,  the  Purchasers  did  accomplish  the  avoidance  of 
making  a  difficult  decision  when  the  land  was  first  laid  out. 
This  land  was  situated  several  miles  to  the  southwest  of 
Tower  Hill,  near  Worden's  Pond,  and  the  woods  upon  it 
are  still  known  as  the  "Ministerial  Woods".  Sewall  makes 
mention  of  this  land  in  his  Letter  Book." 

The  decision  of  Kckley  and  Jeffries  was  carried  out 
forthwith,  a  school  house  built,  and  school  kept  there  for 
over  thirty-eight  years.  Among  the  "learned,  sober  and 
orthodox"  schoolmasters  to  recei\'e  the  appointment  were: 
Constant  Southwick,  Increase  Hewit,  John  Hazard,  Wil- 
liam Nichols,  Robert  F.  Noyes,  Benj.  Hull  and  Elisha  R. 
Potter,  Sr.'' 

The  nieagerness  of  the  interest  from  the  endowment  is 


^Seu-alPs    Letter   Book,    W)].    11,    p.    113.     {Massachiaetts    Historical 
Collections,  \'()1.  \l.) 

"From  Judge  E.  R.   Potter's  notes  and  also  A   Statement  oj  Facts  in 
Relation  to  the  Funds  oj  the  Kingston  Academy.    Providence,  1836. 


THE    SAMTKI.    Si:\V.\l.L    SCHOOI.    l.AXD  9 

shown  from  the  terms  accepted  by  Klisha  R.  Potter  to 
teach  in  the  \ear  1785.  "The  Terms  which  the  Subscriber 
proposes  Teaching  a  School  at  the  School  House  on  Tower 
Hill  are  as  follows:  If  there  are  twenty-five  scholars 
SLibscribVi  for  the  price  will  be  12  /  per  Quarter  and  if  less 
it  will  be  1  5  .  Wood  and  whatever  will  render  the  School 
House  coinement  to  be  supply'd  by  the  Employers,  and 
the  subscriber  to  board  himself. 

Elisha  R.  Potter"'" 

On  the  reverse,  Potter  notes  that  he  commenced  to 
teach  on  April  12th,  1785,  and  from  further  notes  it  is 
e\-ident  that  b\-  June  7th  he  had  twenty-four  scholars. 

This  school',  however,  was  not  the  first  in  the  Purchase, 
for  a  short  time  prior  to  1759  a  school  house  was  built  ni 
the  village  of  Little  Rest  (now  Kingston)  on  Little  Rest 
Hill.  This  was  built  on  the  land  of  Robert  Potter  on  the 
north  side  of  the  main  road  passing  through  the  village 
where  the  present  Post  Ofi^ce  now  stancis.  On  October  20, 
1759,  Robert  Potter  deeded  the  land,  thirty  by  twenty 
feet,  to  a  group  of  the  leading  men  of  the  community  for 
school  purposes.  The  deed  states  that  the  school  house 
then  stood  on  the  land.  In  1787  we  find  Elisha  Potter 
teaching  there,  after  his  experience  on  Tower  Hill,  with 
twenty-three  pupils,  including  the  two  sons  of  John  Waite, 
the  silxersmith,  and  Powel  Helme." 

As  a  result  of  a  petition  to  the  General  Assembly  in 
1 752  the  court  house  of  King's  Count}'  had  been  abandoned 
at  Tower  Hill  and  a  new  one  built  at  Little  Rest  in 
1756  Little  Rest  soon  became  the  leading  town  in  the 
Countv,  and  Tower  Hill  suffered  as  a  result,  many  of  its 
hihabitants  remo\'ing  to,  and  building  in,  the  larger  village. 
It  is  understandable,  therefore,  that  Joshua  Huntington, 
the  then  Minister  of  the  Third  Church  in  Boston,  and  the 


'"This  was  Elisha  R.  Potter,  Senior.    Original  in  Potter  Papers. 
''South  Kingstozm  La>id  Ez'hlence,   Book   6,   p.    110,  and   notes  by 
Judge  Potter. 


10  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Treasurer  of  that  town,  Andrew  Sigourney,  should  decide 
to  transfer  the  SewaJl  School  from  Tower  Hill  to  Little 
Rest.  One  condition  was  imposed:  that  the  people  of 
Little  Rest  would  procure  a  person  to  settle  in  the  min- 
istry there  "and  teach  the  school  at  the  same  time."^'  It  is 
evident  that  a  promise  to  fulfill  this  condition  was  made 
and  kept,  for  the  school  was  removed  to  Little  Rest  in 
1819  and  a  year  later  the  present  church  built,  providing, 
thereby,  suitable  facilities  for  the  person  selected  to  act  as 
a  teacher,  both  spiritual  and  temporal. 

In  1823  the  committee  of  this  school  petitioned  the 
General  Assembly  for  a  charter  under  the  name  of  The 
Trustees  of  the  Pettaquamscutt  Academy.  The  charter 
was  given  the  May  Session,  and  the  Pettaquamscutt  Acad- 
emy, later  to  be  known  as  the  Kingston  Academy,  came 
into  being. 

( To  be  continued. ) 


A  German  Cjardcncr  at  Newport  in  175+ 

Contntnnicaled  by  Mrs.  Lewis  A.  Waterman 

The  following  nineteenth  century  translations  of  the 
letters  of  recommendation  of  a  German  gardener,  named 
Johann  Caspar  Ohlman  are  of  Rhode  Island  interest  be- 
cause Ohlman  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Newport 
where  he  married  Ruth  Hart  on  September  16,  1766. 
The  record  of  this  marriage  appears  in  the  Newport  Vital 
Records,  but  in  the  printed  copies  the  name  is  mistran- 
scribed Oslman. 

From  stil]  another  angle  these  letters  open  up  the 
speculation  as  to  how  much  this  German  gardener  influ- 
enced the  developnient  of  our  colonial  gardens.   Did  other 


"Judge  Potter's  Notes. 


(iKRMAX    GARDKXKK   AT    XKWI'OKT    IN    \7 ?A 


II 


skilled  GcrmiuT  gardeners  emigrate  to  New  England,  and 
has  any  trace  of  this  German  influence  been  found  in  our 
early  gardens. 

"His  Highness  and  nicest  powerful  Prince,  Frederic  Au- 
gust, King  of  Poland,  Grand  Duke  of  Lithuania,  Reussen, 
Preussen,  Mazovien,  Samogitien,  Kyovien,  \'olhniien,  Pa- 
dolien,  Padlachien,  Lifland,  Smolensko,  Severien,  Scher- 
nicovien,  Duke  of  Sachsen,  Julich,  Cleve  and  Berg,  En- 
gern  and  Westphalen,  Arch-marshall  and  Grand  Elector 
oi  the  Hoh-  Roman  Empire,  Landgraf  of  Thuringen, 
Markgraf  of  Meisseti,  also  of  Upper  and  Lower  Lausnitz, 
Burggraf  of  Magdeburg,  Prince -gra\'e  of  Huneburg,  Graf 
of  the  Mark  Ravensberg,  Hanau  and  Barbev',  Seigneur  of 
Ravenstein. 

His  presently  employed  Horticulturist. 

1,  Johann  Jeremias  Alnger,  do  let  it  be  known  to  each 
and  all,  of  high  or  low  Estate,  especially  to  the  honor- 
able and  skillful  Gentlemen  and  workmen  who  practice 
the  noble  art  of  gardening,  and  to  those  whose  pleasures 
tend  in  that  direction,  who  may  see  and  read  this  letter, 
that  the  bearer  of  this,  Johann  Caspar  Ohlman,  the  legi- 
timate and  youngest  son  of  Master  Johann  Heinrich  Ohl- 
man, beer-brewe"r  of  Bautzen,  near  Leipzig,  has,  in  order 
to  learn  the  art  of  horticulture  and  garciening,  been  taken, 
according  to  customs,  in  our  service  as  apprentice  for  the 
term  of  three  years,  from  November  1  749  to  November 

1752.  '  , 

He  has  not  only  served  and  passed  the  three  years_  ot 
apprenticeship,  but  during  that  time  has  been  faithful, 
industrious,  honest,  obedient,  pious,  and  has  conducted 
himself  as  becomes  a  studious  apprentice,  and  he  has  given 
me  great  satisfaction. 

But  he  has  resolved,  with  the  aid  of  the  Lord,  to  try  his 
luck  elsewhere,  to  perfect  himself  in  the  art  he  has  learned 
from  me,  and  has  therefore  kindly  asked  me  for  a  testi- 


12  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

menial  of  his  advancement,  which  I  could  not  refuse  him: 
therefore,  and  for  his  future  welfare,  do  I  declare  him,  on 
this  day,  clear,  free  and  released. 

To  all  whom  this  letter  may  reach,  I  present  my  kind 
regards,  and  beg  that  they  give  full-credit  to  this  my 
testimonium,  to  wit: 

To  grant  Johann  Caspar  Ohlman,  on  account  of  his 
from  me  acquired  art  of  gardening,  and  for  his  good  be- 
haviour, all  encouragement  and  gracious  good  will  and  the 
best  of  testimonials,  which  favors  he  will,  I  hope,  thank- 
fully repay  with  faithful  and  diligent  service.  I  shall 
always  be  ready  to  answer  for  him  at  any  occasion  to  each 
and  every  one,  and  according  to  rank. 

In  witness  thereof  do  I  hereby  affix  to  this,  the  appren- 
tice indenture,  my  hand  and  seal. 

Rendered  at  the  Royal  Garden  of  the  Residence,  Dres- 
den, on  the  nineteenth  of  November  of  the  year  1752. 

The  horticulturist  to  the  noble  and  right  honorable  Sir, 
Mr.  Geo.  Bosen,  renowned  merchant  of  the  world-famed 
commercial  cit\'  of  Leipzig. 

I,  Anton  Mathias  Hort,  do  let  it  be  known  to  each  and 
all  in  the  land,  of  whatever  station  of  life  they  may  be, 
that  the  bearer,  the  honest  and  art-loving  Johann  Caspar 
Ohlman,  gardener,  born  in  Bautzen  near  Leipzig,  has  been 
in  my  employment  for  about  seven  months,  during  which 
time  he  has  always  been  faithful  and  industrious.  I  should 
have  been  glad  to  allow  him  to  remain  in  my  service,  had 
he  not,  for  his  welfare  and  ambition,  wished  to  better  (  ze- 
vati  viciter)  himself  in  the  praiseworthy  art  of  horticul- 
ture, and  to  try  other  and  better  positions. 

In  this  intention  has  he  applied  to  me  for  a  proper  re- 
lease of  his  services,  and  given  communication  of  his 
departure,  and  I  do,  herewith,  on  account  of  his  good  be- 
haviour, wish  to  further  his  welfare.  So,  should  this 
release  be  shown  to  any  one,  whether  of  high  estate  or 


MIKLATZ      RIIODK    ISI.AXH    I'ICTl'RES  I  3 

li)W-bi)rn,  especial  1\'  anyone  addicted  to  the  art  of  garden- 
ing, or  whose  pleasures  lean  towards  that  art,  I  pray  theni 
not  only  to  gi\e  full  credit  to  this,  but  to  show  the  for- 
nanied  Johann  Caspar  Ohlman  all  respect  and  favor,  and 
to  accord  him  all  benefit  to  be  derived  through  this,  my 
recommendation,  which  favors  he  undoubtedly  will  thank- 
fully and  in  all  honor  repay  with  ready  service. 

In  witness  thereof  do  I  hereby  affix  my  hand  and  seal. 

Gi\'en  in  I.eipizig  m  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand 
se\'en  hundred  and  fifty-three. 

(Signed)   Anton  Matthias  Hort." 

According  to  family  tradition,  Ohlman  was  employed 
as  gardener  at  \'aucluse,  the  Klams'  country  estate  in 
Portsmouth.  Of  \'aucluse,  Thomas  R.  Hazard  (  Shepherd 
Tom)  in  his  Recollections  of  Olden  Times  (pages  91-92) 
said:  "Nearly  all  the  multitude  of  trees  and  shrubbery 
planted  were  imported  by  Mr.  Elam  from  Europe,"  and 
added  that  Mr.  Elam's  account  books  "showed  an  outlay  of 
about  eighty  thousand  dollars  on  the  building  and  orna- 
mental portion  of  the  estate  alone." 

The  name  Ohlnian  was  spelled  originally  and  in  these 
manuscripts  with  an  umlaut,  but  in  Rhode  Island  the  name 
ex'entuallv  became  changed  to  Ail  man. 


Miclatz'  Rhode  Island  Pictures 

The  following  list  of  pictures  by  C.  I'".  \V.  Mielatz, 
which  relate  to  Rhode  Island,  has  been  compiled  by  Mr. 
G.  Rothwell  Burgess.  An  article  on  Mielatz'  work  was 
published  in  the  Providence  Journal  of  April  24,  1929. 

E  rcHiNc.s 

Along  the  Docks,  Newport  Harbor 
Near  the  Nets,  Newport 
Early  Morning,  Newport 


14  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Trinity  Steeple,  Newport 

Morning  after  the  Storm,  Newport 

A  Little  Street  in  Newport 

Newport  Harbor,  from  Brenton  Cove 

Old  Wreck  in  the  Cove,  Newport 

Fishing  Bridge,  Newport 

Old  Boat  Shop,  Newport 

Stranded,  near  Newport. 

Steamboat  Dock,  Newport 

The  \'il]age  over  the  Hill,  Narragansett 

Evening,  Silver  Spring 

The  Haunt  of  the  Hern 

Across  the  Fields 

The  Passing  Storm 

A  Narragansett  Road 

Winter  Night 

Narragansett  Shore 

Winter  in  Narragansett 

Rock  of  the  Unfortunate  Hannah 
The  Miller's  Home 
Rainy  Day,  Providence 
Fisherman's  Home,  Block  Island 
Swordfish  Schooner,  Block  Island 
Old  Mill,  Block  Island 
Falls  of  the  Pawtucket  River 
Morning,  Conanicut  Island 
Sunset,  Newport  Harbor 
Swordfish  Schooner,   Block   Island 
A  Mill  at  Block  Island 
Old  Mill,  near  Newport,  R.  I. 
First  Flag,  Colon v  of  R.  I. 
Falls  of  Pawtucket 

Olympia  and ,  Newport,  R.  I. 

Old  Fish  House,  Newport  Wharf 
Old  Dock,  Newport 


AINTINGS 


Bonita,  off  Block  Island,  R.  I. 

My  Casting  for   Blue  Fish,   Narragansett   Bay 

Bridge  for  Bass  Fishing,  Narragansett  Bav 

Newport,  R.  I. 

Along  the  Shore,  Narragansett 

Fisherman's  House,  Narragansett 


Notes 

The  following  pcrst)ns  ha\e  been  adniitted  to  member- 
ship in  the  Society: 

Rev.  Clarence  A.  Barhour   Mr.  S.  L'oster  Damon 
Miss  Alice  Braytqn  Mr,  Robert  F.  Seybolt 

Miss  Isabel  R.  Brown  William  H.  Vanderbilt 

Mrs.  Charles  H.  Merriman 

lV/;eji  Dickens  Met  Clnuuiing  and  A  Clarice  at  Chan- 
n'lng^s  FriendsJups^  are  the  titles  oi  two  papers  by  Gran- 
ville Hicks,  which  are  based  in  part  on  letters  preserved 
in  the  archi\'es  of  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society. 
They  are  printed  in  The  Christ'ian  Register  of  Boston  for 
July  18,  September  5  and  September  12,  1929. 

Margaret  Fuller  as  a  Literary  Critic,  by  Helen  Neill 
McMaster,  is  a  monograph  of  KM)  pages  recently  pub- 
lished by  the  Uni\'ersity  of  Buffalo. 

A  letter  of  Joseph  Wharton,  dated  Newport  1864,  was 
printed  in  the  Bulletin  of  the  Neivport  Historical  Society 
for  October,  1929. 

The  diaries  of  two  Newport  mariners,  Jonathan  Bar- 
low and  Nicholas  Simons,  1724-1725,  dealing  with  their 
capture  by  pirates,  which  were  edited  by  Robert  F.  Seybolt 
and  printed  in  the  Nezv  England  Quarterly  (II,  4),  have 
been  reprinted  in  pamphlet  forni. 

An  account  of  Gilbert  Stuart  as  a  Miniature  Painter 
appears  in  the  October,  1929,  issue  of  Antic^ues. 

On  October  8,  1929,  Professor  \'erner  W.  Crane  of 
Brown  University  gave  a  talk  before  the  Society  on  Henry 
Marchant^s  Trax-els:  A  Rhode  Ldander  in  England  on  the 
Eve  of  the  Revolution. 

Mr.  Arthur  H.  Armington  has  compiled  a  typewritten 

15 


I  6  RHODE   ISLAND   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

genealogy  of  the  Armington  Family,  a  copy  of  which  he 
has  given  to  the  Society. 

The  Society  has  recently  been  fortunate  in  obtaining  a 
manuscript  orderly  book  of  the  Crown  Point  expedition  of 
1759.  The  book  contains  the  name  of  "Samuel  Stoneman 
Adiut".  Samuel  Stoneman  was  Lieutenant  in  Capt.  Chris- 
topher Hargill's  10th  Rhode  Island  Company  in  1759 
and  Hargill's  5th  Rhode  Island  company  in  1760.  He 
was  adjutant  in  1  760  and  perhaps  in  part  of  1759. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Henry  C.  Dexter,  the 
gravestone  of  Governor  Joseph  Jenckes  has  been  placed 
in  the  Society's  Museum. 

A  collection  of  eighteenth  century  manuscripts  dealing 
with  colonial  Newport,  has  been  given  to  the  Society  by 
G.  Andrews  Moriarty,  Jr.,  F.  S.  A.  Many  of  these  papers 
relate  to  the  privateersman,  Capt.  John  Rouse,  R.  N, 

On  October  28,  1929,  the  Colonial  Daughters  of  the 
Seventeenth  Century,  State  of  Rhode  Island  Society,  dedi- 
cated a  memorial  boulder  and  tablet  at  Rumford,  East 
Pro\'idence,  commemorative  of  the  founding  of  Rehoboth 
near  that  spot  in  1644.  The  inscription  reads:  "Here  Rev. 
Samuel  Newman  and  Associates  in  1644,  Found  Ample 
Place,  'Rehoboth',  for  Their  Plantation.  Near  This  Spot 
They  Built  Their  First  Church  at  the  Centre  of  the  'Ring 
of  the  Town'.  Destroyed  by  the  Indians  in  1676,  Rebuilt 
and  Enlarged  Rehoboth  Sent  Its  Children  to  Settle  Other 
New  England  Towns,  Making  to  the  Life  of  the  Nation 
Lasting  Contributions  Now  Commemorated  by  This  Stone 
and  Tablet." 

A  typewritten  \(jlume  containing  copies  of  the  inscrip- 
tions on  gra\^estones  in  fi\'e  cemeteries  in  Bristol,  R.  I.,  has 
been  deposited  with  the  Society  by  the  Bristol  Chapter, 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution.  The  transcripts 
were  made  over  thirty  years  ago  by  Jaines  Augustus  Mil- 


N(^TES  17 

ler,  and  the  typewritten  copy  of  them  was  made  under  the 
dn"ection  of  Mrs.  William  Leonard  Manchester. 

Nezviy  Disro-jered  Miniatitres  h\  Ed-zcayd  Cieejie  ]\[al- 
bone  is  the  title  of  a  profusel\-  illustrated  article  by  Ruel 
P.  Tolman  in  the  No\ember,  1929,  issue  of  Antiques. 

The  Society  has  recently  issued  a  volume  of  99  pages 
containing  the  Minutes  of  the  Convention  held  at  South 
Kingstozi'Ji,  Rhode  Island,  in  March,  1790,  irhich  failed 
to  adopt  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  with  an 
introduction  by  Robert  C.  Cotner  and  a  foreword  by  Ver- 
ner  \V.  Crane.  This  volume  will  be  of  great  interest  to 
students  of  constitutional  history. 

The  Bostoji  Sunday  Globe  of  September  8,  1929,  con- 
tains a  picture  of  the  watch  tower  built  on  Block  Islanci  by 
Mr.  Thomas  T.  Doggett  to  commemorate  the  location  of 
the  signal  pole  on  Block  Island. 

The  Cjeorgiana  Guild  (jenealogical  Collection,  ci)nsist- 
ing  of  the  manuscript  notes  made  by  Miss  Guild  during 
her  many  years  of  research,  will  be  a  mine  of  inestimable 
value  to  genealogists.  Through  the  kindness  of  her  sister. 
Miss  Olive  Guild,  this  collection  has  been  gi\-en  to  the 
Society,  and  is  now  a\'ailable  for  use. 

Two  \'ery  thorough  and  detailed  typewritten  histories 
by  Nicholas  Ball  have  been  presented  to  the  Society  by 
Mrs.  Schuyler  C.  Ball  One  volume  of  354  pages  deals 
with  the  history  and  development  of  Block  Island  harbors 
from  1635  to  1896.  The  other  volunie  of  66  pages  is  an 
account  of  the  Block  Island  light  houses,  life  saving  sta- 
tions anci  cable. 

Mr.  Thomas  A.  Jenckes  and  Mr.  Stephen  H.  Jenckes 
have  presented  to  the  Society  a  collection  of  legal  docu- 
ments and  printed  briefs  relating  to  Rhode  Island  cases, 
from  the  library  of  their  grandfather,  the  late  Thomas  A. 
Jenckes. 


lb  RH(JDK  ISLAND  HTS'lORK  AL  SOCIETY 

The  manuscript  record  book  of  the  Proprietors  of  Little 
Compton,  which  contains  an  account  of  the  land  grants 
from  1673  to  1755  and  so  is  the  fundamental  source  book 
for  the  origin  of  land  titles  in  Little  Compton,  has  been 
photostated  and  the  photostat  copy  placed  in  the  Society's 
library.  The  Society  is  indebted  to  Mr.  Henry  L  Rich- 
mond for  his  generosity  and  for  the  hours  of  time  he  has 
spent  in  bringing  this  work  to  a  successful  culmination. 

On  December  10,  1929,  Mr.  John  W.  Haley  gave  a 
talk  before  the  Society  on  Historical  Treasures  of  Rhode 
Island y  illustrated  with  lantern  slides. 

The  Political  Thought  of  Roger  WilliainSy  by  James  E. 
Ernst,  is  a  volume  of  230  pages,  published  in  1929  by  the 
LIniversity  of  Washington  Press  at  Seattle.  An  article  on 
Roger  Williams  by  Mr.  Ernst  appeared  in  the  last  issue  of 
the  R.  I.  H.  S.  Collections. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Charles  M.  Perry  the 
Society  has  obtained  a  typewritten  copy  of  the  manuscript 
History  of  Greene  and  Vicinity ^  which  was  recently  written 
by  Squire  G.  Wood. 

The  Society  has  been  fortunate  in  obtaining  a  copy  of 
the.  Lunar  Calendaryhy  Moses  Lopez,  which  was  published 
at  Newport  in  1806.  It  is  the  hrst  Jewish  almanac  pub- 
lished in  the  State.  The  Society's  file  of  Newport  Aiercury 
Alnuniacs  still  lacks  a  few  issues  between  1890  and  1911. 

Uncle  By  Gosh  of  Old  South  County ^  by  Jennie  R.  Par- 
telow,  was  printed  in  Boston  in  1929,  and  is  the  second 
book  of  hers  relating  to  Rhode  Island. 


C  A P T  A  ]  X    1 ' A  INK   OF    C A  I  A C' I-: T 


i<) 


The  box  in  which  the  commission  for  the  intjuin'  into  the 
burning    of    the    Gnspee    was    sent    to    Go\'ernor    Wanton.  < 

The  box  is  still  preserved  in  the  State  House  at  Providence. 

Co!/'fe.<y  of  Ho'TCiii//  W.  Preston. 


Captain  Paine  of  Cajacet 
By  H(0WARD  M.  Chapin 

Captain  Thomas  Paine  of  Cajacet  in  Jamestown,  mar- 
iner, buccaneer,  soldier,  patriot  and  churchman,  is  one  of 
those  picturesque  swash -luicklmg  pru'ateersmen  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  who  ha\ing  made  his  pile,  retired 
from  the  dangers  ancH  excitement  of  the  sea,  to  spend  his 
declining  years  on  shore  as  a  landed  gentleman  and  a  pil- 
lar of  the  Church  of  England.  Why  so  many  ex-pirates 
joined  the  Church  of  England  has  always  seemed  to  be  one 
of  the  unsolved  mvsteries  of  those  romantic  davs. 


20  RHODE  ISLAND   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Thomas  Paine  first  appears  in  history  in  the  year  of 
Grace  1682  as  captain  of  a  bark  and  in  command  of  a  crew 
of  eighty  men.  He  had  evidently  been  a-privateering  on 
his  own  account  without  due  papers  and  commission,  but 
seems  to  have  confined  his  activities  to  preying  on  Spanish 
commerce,  or  at  least  had  that  reputation.  Thus  it  might 
be  said  that  he  carried  on  the  best  traditions  of  the 
buccaneers. 

At  this  time  the  English  government  was  trying  to  sup- 
press buccaneering  and  the  kindred  trade  of  piracy  in  the 
West  Indies,  and  many  self-styled  privateersmen  finding 
that  His  Majesty's  men-of-war  interf erred  with  their 
activities,  became  repentant  and  sought  to  give  up  their 
questionable  calling  and  to  take  up  the  duties  and  obliga- 
tions of  respectable  citizens.  One  Captain  Clarke,  who  is 
called  "a  very  honest  useful  man,"  approached  Sir 
Thomas  Lynch,  then  Governor  of  Jamaica,  and  pleaded 
on  Paine's  behalf.  Lynch  wrote,  "He  told  me  Payn  had 
never  done  the  least  harm  to  any  and  that  if  I  would  allow 
him  to  come  in,  he  would  engage  to  bring  in  or  destroy 
these  other  pirates.  I  thought  this  likely  and  advantageous 
from  creating  di\'isions  aniong  the  pirates,  so  I  accepted 
the  offer  and  hope  per  fas  aut  nejas  to  put  down  these 
destructive  rogues."  This  letter  was  written  on  Novem- 
ber 9,  1682,  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  in  this  very 
letter,  while  referring  to  piracy  and  privateers,  Sir  Thomas 
mentions  "particularly  one  Picard  in  a  brigantine,"  whom 
we  will  hear  of  later. 

From  the  context  of  Lynch's  letter  it  would  appear  that 
he  considered  Paine  was  one  of  the  throng  of  self-styled 
privateersmen  who  infested  the  West  Lidies  and  preyed 
on  the  Spaniards.  Apparently  the  statement  that  "Payn 
had  never  done  the  least  harm  to  any"  should  be  taken 
advisedly,  and  meant  that  he  had  not  preyed  on  English 
vessels  or  by  his  behavior  involved  England  in  interna- 
tional difliculties. 

Captain   Clarke   was   successful   in   his   intercession   on 


CAPTAIN  PAIXE  OF  CAJACKT  21 

Paine's  behalf  and  the  latter  was  allowed  b\-  Governor 
L\nch  to  ''come  in"  to  Jamaica,  which  was  tantamount  to 
freeing  him  from  possible  legal  prosecution  for  past  irreg- 
ularities at  sea. 

Captain  Paine  was  dul\'  commissioned  a  privateersman 
by  Sir  Thomas  L\nch  on  October  13,  1682,  and  was 
authorized  to  seize,  kill  and  destroy  pirates  and  their  ships. 
Acting  under  this  commission.  Captain  Paine  sailed  from 
Jamaica  in  the  frigate  Pearl,  a  ship  of  eight  guns  manned 
with  sixty  men. 

In  March,  1683,  Captain  Paine  touched  at  the  Bahama 
Islands  and  fell  in  with  four  sea  captains  of  ill-repute: 
Captain  Conway  Wool  ley.  Captain  Markham,  John  Cor- 
nelison,  commander  of  a  brigantine  from  New  ^  ork,  and 
a  noted  pirate  captain  known  under  \arious  names  as  Breha 
alias  Brashaw  alias  La\'anza  alias  Michael  Anderson.  Cap- 
tain Breha  was  at  this  time  making  preparations  to  sail  on 
a  voyage,  which  he  alleged  was  for  the  purpose  of  fishing 
silver  from  a  wrecked  Spanish  galleon. 

Governor  Lilburne  of  the  Bahamas  said  that  these  cap- 
tains entered  into  a  conspiracy  to  take  St.  Augustine  and 
sailed  under  the  command  of  Captain  Paine.  Other  less 
authentic  reports  state  that  Breha  was  in  command,  but 
these  reports  were  doubtless  due  to  the  fact  that  Breha 
was  more  widely  known.  The  five  ships  sailed  under 
French  colors  and  hoped  to  surprise  St.  Augustine,  but  to 
their  discomforture  found  the  Spaniards  ready  for  them. 
Abandoning  the  idea  of  taking  that  cit\',  they  ravaged  the 
outlying  countryside,  and  plundered  a  number  of  small 
places.  The  expedition  then  broke  up,  a  common  occur- 
rence among  buccaneers,  and  Paine,  Markham  and  Breha 
returned  with  their  spoils  to  New  Prox'idence.  (ioxernor 
Lilburne  immediateh'  attempted  to  seize  these  ships,  but 
failed  through  want  of  sufficient  force. 

Captain  Paine,  not  finding  New  Providence  hospitable, 
sailed  away  to  a  Spanish  wreck,  perhaps  the  one  Breha  had 
mentioned,  and  tried  his  luck  at  hshing  silver  out  of  the 


22  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

old  galleon.  Governor  Lilburne  sent  a  strong  force  after 
Paine,  but  when  this  ship  reached  the  wreck,  Paine  had 
sailed  northward. 

It  was  rather  a  convenience  for  the  pirates  of  those  days 
to  occasionally  go  a-hunting  sunken  silver  in  ship-wrecked 
galleons,  especially  as  such  quests  would  account  of  quan- 
tities of  plate  in  their  cargo.  On  the  other  hand,  wrecking 
expeditions  often  were  able  to  do  a  little  unsuspected  pir- 
acy on  the  side,  so  to  speak. 

Captain  Paine  in  his  ship  Pearl  reached  Narragansett 
Bay  in  the  summer  of  1683  ostensibly  from  looting  a 
Spanish  wreck.  Samuel  G.  Arnold  gives  the  date  of  arrival 
in  a  marginal  note  as  July  30,  but  I  have  not  succeeded  in 
verifying  this  date.  At  any  rate,  the  news  of  Paine's 
arrival  had  reached  Boston  by  Wednesday,  August  15,  for 
on  that  date  Thatcher,  the  Deputy  Collector,  set  out  for 
Newport  for  the  purpose  of  seizing  the  Pearly  which  he 
believed  was  an  "unfree  bottom."  He  arrived  at  Newport 
the  next  day,  which  he  spent  in  satisfying  himself  "as  to 
the  character  of  the  ship"  as  he  expressed  it.  In  the  eve- 
ning he  called  upon  Governor  William  Coddington  and 
demanded  his  assistance  in  seizing  her.  Governor  Cod- 
dington put  Thatcher  off  and  agreed  to  take  the  matter  up 
in  the  morning.  Thatcher  claimed  that  some  one  told  the 
"pirates"  of  his  plans,  and  that  the  delay  of  overnight  gave 
Paine  and  his  crew  time  to  arm  themselves  so  as  to  be  able 
to  resist  arrest. 

Early  the  next  morning,  Friday,  August  1  7,  Thatcher 
went  to  see  Governor  Coddington.  The  latter  said  that  he 
had  investigated  the  matter,  and  that  the  vessel  was  a 
"free  bottom"  not  liable  to  seizure,  for  Captain  Paine  had 
a  commission  from  Sir  Thomas  Lynch.  A  conference  was 
then  held,  which  was  attended  by  Governor  Dongan  of 
New  York,  Governor  Cranfield  of  New  Hampshire,  and 
Capt.  Thomas  Paine,  as  well  as  by  Governor  Coddington 
and  Deputy  Collector  Thatcher.  Captain  Paine  presented 
his  commission,  which  Thatcher,  Dongan  and  Cranfield 


CAPTAIN-    I'AIXH   OF   CAJACKT  23 

declared  to  be  a  forger\".  Cranfield  claimeci  that  it  was  not 
Sir  Thomas'  signature,  and  the  fact  that  Sir  Thomas  was 
styled  one  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  King's  Bedchamber 
instead  of  his  Privy  Chamber,  also  proved  that  the  com- 
mission was  forged. 

Cranheld,  Dongan  and  Thatcher  represented  the  crown 
and,  in  this  case  as  in  others,  their  wishes  seem  to  hax'e  led 
them  to  distort  facts.  Paine  would  have  had  little  need  to 
have  forged  a  commission,  when  he  already  had  one,  as  is 
proved  b\'  the  letter  of  Sir  Thomas  Lynch  already  quoted. 
Governor  Coddington,  representing  the  rights  of  the  col- 
onists as  against  the  tyranny  of  the  Royal  agents,  accepted 
the  commission  as  genuine,  and  would  not  seize  the  ship. 
The  next  day  Thatcher  again  asked  help  of  Governor  Cod- 
dington, and  the  Governor  told  him  to  proceed  against 
Paine  in  the  court  if  he  wished  to  do  so.  Thus  matters 
rested  for  a  while. 

Paine  settled  at  Newport,  and  apparently  in  the  follow- 
ing year,  1684,  was  arrested  on  the  charge  of  piracy.  Wil- 
liam Dyer,  son  of  Mary  Dyer,  the  Quaker  martvr,  and  at 
this  time  a  ro\al  agent  with  ample  powers,  wrote  on  Sep- 
tember 12,  1684:  "I  have  also  caused  Captain  Thomas 
Paine  the  arch-pirate,  to  be  secured,  and  charged  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Rhode  Island  with  him  and  with  his  own  neglect 
for  not  assisting  the  Deputy  Collector  to  seize  him  and  his 
ship."  Captain  Paine  seems  to  have  successfully  extricated 
himself  from  these  charges  for  he  continued  to  reside  in 
Rhode  Island. 

Thomas  Paine  married  Mercy  Carr,  daughter  oi  Judge 
Caleb  Carr  of  Jamestown,  but  the  date  of  the  marriage  is 
not  now  known,  although  it  was  probably  in  1687  8.  The 
Paines  resided  in  Jamestown,  and  in  1688  Thomas  Paine 
was  drawn  on  the  Grand  Jury  and  served  at  the  session 
held  at  Newport  on  December  1  1  of  that  year. 

In  Jul\-,  1690,  Rhode  Island  was  amph'  rewarded  for 
giving  shelter  seven  years  earlier  to  Captain  1  homas 
Paine.    A  fleet  of  French  privateers  arrived  off  the  coast 


24 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


f*. 


u 


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u 


CAPTAIX  PAINE  OF  CAJACKT  2j 

about  Ju]\'  12.  The  ci)mmandcr  was  a  Captain  Pckar  or 
Picard,  who  is  unquestionably  identical  with  the  buccaneer 
Pierre  le  Picard,  whom  Esquemeling  mentions  as  desert- 
ing L'Ollonais,  and  with  the  Captain  Picard,  whom  Sir 
Thomas  Lynch  described  as  a  pirate  in  1682.  Newport 
and  Jamestown  were  shocked  by  the  news  of  the  atrocities 
committed  by  these  French  privateers  at  Block  Ishmd  and 
an  attack  upon  Newport  itself  was  feared.  On  July  17  the 
Ciovernor  and  Council  met,  and  in  the  emergency  im- 
pressed into  the  colony's  service  the  sloop  Loyal  Steele  of 
Barbadoes,  which  happeneci  to  be  lying  in  Newport  harbor 
at  this  time.  This  sloop  was  armed  with  10  guns,  manned 
with  60  men  and  placed  under  the  command  of  the  vet- 
eran sea  fighter,  Captain  Thomas  Paine,  who  was  more 
experienced  in  na\'al  warfare  than  any  other  resident  of 
Rhode  Island.  Captain  John  Godfrey  was  placeci  in  com- 
mand of  another  vessel,  probably  his  own,  and  ordered  to 
accompany  the  Loxal  Siede  and  to  act  under  Captain 
Pame's  orders. 

The  achie\'ements  of  this  expedition  are  best  told  by  an 
e\e  witness,  Samuel  Niles. 

"Whilst  these  l-'rench  pri\'ateers  were  making  an  at- 
tempt at  New  London,  the  people  of  Newport  htted  out 
two  vessels  from  thence  with  volunteers  to  engage  theni, 
supposing  they  were  still  at  Block  Island.  These  vessels 
were  sloops,  under  the  command  of  Captain  and  Comnio- 
dore  Paine,  who  had  some  years  before  followed  the  pri\'a- 
teering  design,  and  Captain  John  Godfrey,  his  second j 
and  inquiring  for  the  French,  they  were  told,  that  when 
they  left  the  island  they  shaped  their  course  westward 
toward  New  Londi)n ;  upon  which  our  Knglish  vessels 
stretched  off  to  the  stnithward,  and  soon  made  a  discovery 
of  a  small  fleet  standing  eastward.  Supposing  them  to  be 
the  French  they  were  in  quest  of,  the}'  tacked  and  came  m 
as  near  shore  as  they  could  with  safety,  carrxing  one 
anchor  to  wear  and  another  to  seaboard,  to  pre\ent  the 


26  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

French  boarding  them  on  each  side  at  once,  and  to  bring 
their  guns  and  men  all  on  one  side,  the  better  to  defend 
themselves  and  annoy  the  enemy.  The  French  probably 
discovered  them  also,  and  made  all  the  sail  they  could, 
expecting  to  make  prizes  of  them.  Accordingly  they  sent 
a  periauger  before  them,  full  of  men,  with  design  to  pour 
in  their  small  arms  on  them,  and  take  them,  as  their  man- 
ner was,  supposing  they  were  unarmed  vessels  and  only 
bound  upon  trade.  Captain  Paine's  gunner  urged  to  hre 
on  them.  The  Captain  denied,  alleging  it  more  advisable 
to  let  the  enemy  come  nearer  under  their  command.  But 
the  gunner  still  urging  it,  being  certain  (as  he  said)  he 
should  rake  fore  and  aft,  thus  with  much  importunity  at 
length  the  Captain  gave  him  liberty.  He  fired  on  them 
but  the  bullet  went  wide  of  them,  and  I  saw  it  skip  on  the 
surface  of  the  water  several  times,  and  finally  lodge  in  a 
bank,  as  they  were  not  very  far  distant  from  the  shore. 
This  brought  them  to  a  stand  and  to  row  off  as  fast  as  they 
could  and  wait  until  their  vessels  came  up.  When  they 
came,  they^  bore  down  on  the  English,  and  there  ensued  a 
very  hot  seahght  for  several  hours,  though  under  the 
land,  the  great  barque  foremost,  pouring  in  a  broadside 
with  small  arms.  Ours  bravely  answered  them  in  the  same 
manner,  with  their  huzzas  and  shouting.  Then  followed 
the  larger  sloop,  the  captain  whereof  was  a  very  violent, 
resolute  fellow.  He  took  a  glass  of  wine  to  drink,  and 
wished  it  might  be  his  damnation  if  he  did  not  board  them 
immediately.  But  as  he  was  drinking,  a  bullet  struck  him 
in  his  neck,  with  which  he  instantly  fell  down  dead  as  the 
prisoners  (before  spoken  of),  afterward  reported.  How- 
ever, the  large  sloop  proceeded,  as  the  former  vessel  had 
done,  and  the  lesser  sloop  likewise.  Thus  they  passed  by 
in  course,  and  then  tacked  and  brought  their  other  broad- 
side to  bear.  In  this  manner  they  continued  the  fight  until 
the  night  came  on  and  prevented  their  farther  conflict. 
Our  men  as  valiantly  paid  them  back  in  their  own  coin,  and 
bravely  repulsed  them,  and  killed  several  of  them.    The 


CAPTAIN    I'AINE   OF    CAJACET  27 

Captain,  before  spoken  of,  with  one  or  more  were  after- 
wards driven  on  the  shore.  In  this  action  the  continued  fire 
was  so  sharp  and  violent,  that  the  echo  in  the  woods  made 
a  noise  as  though  the  limbs  of  the  trees  were  rent  and  tore 
off  from  their  bodies  (as  I  have  observed)  ;  yet  they  killed 
but  one  man,  an  Indian  fellow  of  the  English  party,  and 
wounded  six  men,  who  after  recovered.  They  overshot 
our  men,  so  that  many  of  their  bullets,  both  great  and 
small,  were  picked  up  on  the  adjacent  shore. 

"Our  men  expected  a  second  encounter  in  the  morning, 
and  their  ammunition  being  much  spent,  sent  in  the  night 
for  the  island's  stock,  as  the  French  lay  off  at  anchor  but  a 
small  distance  from  them  all  night.  But  having  found  the 
engagement  too  hot  for  them,  they  hoisted  their  sails  and 
stood  off  to  sea;  and  one  reason  might  be  this  (as  was 
reported)  that  their  Commodore  understood  by  some 
means  that  it  was  Captain  Paine  he  had  encountered,  said, 
'He  would  as  soon  choose  to  fight  the  devil  as  with  him.' 
Such  was  their  dialect.  Now  this  Captain  Paine,  and 
Peckar,  the  French  Commodore,  had  sailed  together 
a-privateering,  Paine  captain,  and  Peckar  his  lieutenant,  in 
some  former  wars.  The  French  standing  off  to  sea.  Cap- 
tain Paine  and  Captain  Godfrey,  and  their  soldiers, 
with  the  valor  and  spirit  of  true  Englishmen,  pursued 
them,  but  the  privateers  being  choice  sailors,  were  too  light 
of  foot  for  them.  The  French,  finding  that  they  hauled 
on  the  vessel  before  spoken  of,  loaded  with  wines  and 
brandy,  which  was  not  so  good  a  sailor  as  the  others,  and 
fearing  the  English  would  make  a  prey  of  her,  fired  a 
great  shot  through  her  bottom,  so  that  when  our  men  came 
to  her  she  was  sunk  under  water  in  her  fore  part,  the  stern 
alone  buoyed  up  by  a  long-boat  fastened  to  it;  and  as  she 
was  standing  right  up  anci  down  in  the  water,  they  could 
not  get  anything  out  of  her.  They  no  sooner  cut  the 
painter,  but  she  instantly  sunk  to  the  bottom.  They 
brought  the  boat  with  them  in  their  return,  which  was  the 
only  prize  and  troph\-  of  their  \-ictor\';  onl\-  as  the  enem\' 


28 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


4 


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CAPTAIN    PAINE   OF    CAjACET  29 

were  vanquished,  and  that  they  had  so  courageously  chased 
them  off  the  New  England  coast.  When  Peckar  heard 
that  Trimming  was  kiJJed,  he  greatly  lamented,  and  said, 
he  had  rather  have  lost  thirty  of  his  men." 

Captain  Paine  was  accompanied  on  this  expedition  by 
his  father-in-law,  Caleb  Carr,  and  by  his  wife's  brothers, 
Nicholas  Carr  and  Samuel  Carr. 

On  September  16,  1690,  Captain  Thomas  Paine  and 
his  father-in-law,  Caleb  Carr,  were  appointed  tax  asses- 
sors for  Janiestown,  and  were  at  this  time  residents  of 
Jamestown.  Two  years  later,  in  1692,  the  town  of  James- 
town neglected  to  choose  its  militia  officers,  and  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  on  August  2  appointed  Thomas  Paine  cap- 
tain of  the  Jamestown  Militia. 

Captain  Paine's  father-in-law,  Caleb  Carr,  was  elected 
Governor  of  the  Colony,  and  took  up  the  duties  of  his 
office  in  May,  1695.  Thomas  Paine  is  supposed  to  have 
built  the  house,  which  is  still  standing  though  considerably 
remodeled,  on  the  estate  called  Cajacet  on  the  east  shore 
of  Conanicut  Island  near  its  northerly  end.  The  Paines 
resided  in  this  house  for  many  years. 

On  May  3,  1698,  Captain  Paine  was  admitted  a  free- 
man, that  is,  an  enfranchised  voter  of  the  colony.  It  is 
extraordinary  that  Paine  should  have  served  on  the  jury 
and  been  captain  of  the  militia  several  years  before  he  was 
a  citizen  of  the  colony. 

On  Thursday,  June  15,  1699,  the  famous  pirate,  Capt. 
William  Kidd,  returning  from  his  ill-fated  cruise,  dropped 
anchor  in  Rhode  Island  harbor,  as  Narragansett  Bay  was 
then  called.  The  Collector,  in  a  boat  with  thirty  well- 
armed  men,  went  out  from  Newport  to  seize  Captain 
Kidd's  vessel,  but  Kidd  hred  two  great  shots  and  the  Col- 
lector withdrew.^ 

Kidd  then  sailed  up  the  bay  as  far  as  Captain   Paine's 


^Stc  R.  I.  H.  S.  C.  XV,  97. 


30  RHODI-:  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

house  and  anchored  ofF  Conanicut.  He  sent  his  boat  ashore 
with  an  invitation  to  Captain  Paine  to  come  and  see  him. 
Paine  accepted  Kidd's  invitation  and  went  aboard  the 
sloop.  It  was  rumored  that  at  this  time  Kidd  turned  over  a 
lot  of  gold  to  Captain  Paine. 

On  July  18,  1699,  Sarah  Kidd,  the  Captain's  wife, 
wrote  a  letter  to  Captain  Paine  asking  him  to  deliver  to 
the  bearer,  Andrew  Knott,  twenty-four  ounces  of  gold 
"and  to  keep  all  the  rest  you  have  in  custody  for  it  is  all 
we  have  to  support  us  in  time  of  want."  This  Andrew 
Knott  later  deposed  that  at  this  time  he  went  with  this  let- 
ter from  Boston  to  Conanicut  and  that  Captain  Paine 
delivered  the  gold  to  him.  These  facts,  however,  were 
unknown  to  the  Earl  of  Bellomont  when  he  visited  New- 
port on  September  29,  1699.  He  wrote  of  this  visit, 
"While  I  was  at  Rhode  Island  I  sent  for  one  Pain,  a  pirate 
that  has  bought  an  estate  on  Conanicut  Island  under  the 
Government  of  Rhode  Island  and  has  lived  there  some 
years;  hearing  that  he  had  been  on  board  Kidd's  sloop, 
while  he  lay  at  anchor  by  Rhode  Island,  and  it  being 
reported  that  Kidd  left  some  goods  and  treasure  with  him, 
I  told  him  he  must  be  examined  on  oath  what  he  knew  of 
Kidd  and  had  received  of  him.  He  told  me  three  or  four 
several  times  he  would  not  swear  on  any  account  whatso- 
ever. I  told  him  he  must  then  go  to  gaol  and  he  swore 
that  Kidd  had  delivered  no  goods  or  treasure  to  him,  but 
everybody  that  was  present  took  notice  that  his  behaviour 
was  extremely  disordered  and  I  fancy  believed  as  well  as 
I  that  he  did  not  swear  nice  truth."  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  Bellomont's  testimony  was  strongly  ex-parte 
and  that  he  had  a  reputation  for  distorting  facts  to  suit  his 
own  purposes. 

Bellomont  evidently  referred  to  Paine's  deposition  of 
September  26,  1699,  which  is  still  extant.  In  it  Paine 
deposed  that  Kidd  desired  him  "to  secure  some  things  for 
him."  Paine  added,  "But  I  refused  alleging  my  house 
would  be  searched  and  I  could  not  do  it." 


CATTAIX    I'AIXK   OF    ("Aj  ACKT  3  I 

While  at  Newport  at  this  time,  Bellomont  was  pre- 
sented a  petition,  signed  by  Capt.  Thomas  Paine  and  fif- 
teen others,  asking  that  a  church  of  England  be  established 
at  Newport.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  historic 
Trinity. 

Some  two  months  later  Bellomont  records  that  while 
searching  Captain  Knott's  house,  a  small  trunk  was  found 
which  contained  some  remnants  of  East  India  goods  and 
a  letter  from  Mrs.  Kidd  to  Captain  Paine.  This  letter  we 
have  already  referred  to.  Bellomont  forthwith  had  Cap- 
tain Knott  examined  and  he  cieposed  that  'Mie  fetched  the 
goki  for  Kidd  from  Capt.  Thomas  Payne  on  Connonicut 
Island."  Bellomont  then  "posted  away  a  message  to  Go\'- 
ernor  Cranston  and  Col.  Sanford  to  make  a  strict  search  of 
Paine's  house  befcjre  he  could  have  notice.  It  seems  noth- 
ing was  then  found,  but  Paine  has  since  produced  eighteen 
ounces  and  odd  weight  of  gold,  as  appears  by  Go\'ernor 
Cranston's  letter  of  November  25  and  pretends  twas 
bestowed  on  him  by  Kidd,  hoping  that  may  pass  for  a 
salvo  for  the  oath  he  made."  The  Earl  adds,  "I  think  'tis 
plain  he  foreswore  himself  and  I  am  of  the  opinion  he  has 
a  great  deal  more  of  Kidd's  goods  still  in  his  hands.  He  is 
out  of  my  power  and  being  in  that  government  1  cannot 
compel  him  to  deliver  up  the  rest."  Here  the  matter 
seems  to  ha\'e  ended  save  for  subsequent  rumors  in  regard 
to  buried  treasure. 

Thomas  and  Mercy  Paine  lived  quietly  for  many  years 
at  their  home  at  Cajacet.  In  1706  during  Queen  Anne's 
War,  Captain  Paine  was  again  called  upon  to  serve  his 
country.  On  June  2  of  that  year  an  emergency-  expedition, 
consisting  of  two  ships  and  120  men,  was  sent  in  pursuit  of 
a  French  privateer  commanded  by  Captain  Charles  Fer- 
ret of  Petit  Goave.  This  expedition  was  commanded 
jointly  by  Major  William  Wanton  and  Capt.  Thomas 
Paine,  now  an  old  man,  but  invaluable  on  account  of  his 
experience.  The  French  pri\-ateer  was  captured  and 
brought  into  Newport  as  a  prize  on  June  6. 


32  RHODF.  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Captain  Paine  made  his  will  on  June  28,  1714,  and  died 
the  following  spring,  1715.  The  will  was  probated  May 
17,  1715,  and  in  it  Paine  mentions  his  three  nephews, 
John  Paine  of  Newport  and  his  brothers,  Thomas  Paine 
and  Samuel  Paine,  the  sons  of  Captain  Paine's  brother, 
Andrew.  Captain  Paine  left  a  ring  to  his  friend,  Capt. 
Thomas  Newton  of  Bristol,  and  left  the  residue  of  his 
estate  to  his  widow.   The\'  had  no  children. 

It  w^ould  be  interesting  to  know  if  Capt.  Thomas  New- 
ton of  Bristol  is  identical  with  the  Thomas  Newton  who 
was  for  many  years  Attorney  General  of  Massachusetts, 
and  if  so,  if  this  friendship  had  been  of  assistance  to  Cap- 
tain Paine  in  extricating  him  from  the  legal  difficulties 
resulting  from  his  buccaneering  enterprises. 

The  widow,  Mercy  Paine,  signed  a  deed  on  May  16, 
1716,  and  died  in  1717.  The  day  of  the  month  was  the 
12th,  but  the  name  of  the  month  is  obliterated  in  the 
record. 

The  Paines  were  doubtless  buried  on  their  farm  on 
Conanicut  Island. 


Mr.  George  T.  Paine,  at  one  time  President  of  the  Rhode  Island 
Historical  Society  and  an  authority  on  the  genealogy  of  the  Paine  fam- 
ih',  sought  to  identify  our  Captain  Thomas  Paine  with  the  Thomas 
Paine  of  Marthas  \'ineyard  who  was  born  on  February  8,  1632,  and 
was  iifteen  vears  of  age  in  1647.  This  youthful  Thomas  Paine  of 
Marthas  \'inevard  was  son  of  Thomas  Paine,  merchant  of  London, 
latelv  deceased,  and  held  lands  and  tenements  in  Whittlebury  in  North- 
amptonshire. His  mother,  the  widow  Jane  Paine,  married  Thomas 
Ma\-hew,  Governor  of  Marthas  \'ineyard,  and  on  October  1+,  1647, 
young  Thomas  chose  them  as  his  guardians.  This  Thomas  Paine  had  a 
sister  Jane,  who  married  her  step-brother,  Thomas  Mayhcw,  Junior, 
and  if  this  Thomas  Paine  is  identical  with  Thomas,  the  buccaneer,  he 
must  also  have  had  a  brother  Andrew.  In  November,  1647,  the  business 
affairs  of  voung  Thomas  Paine  were  turned  over  to  the  care  of  Capt. 
Robert  Harding  and  Mr.  Samuel  Shepheard.  Thomas  disappears  from 
Marthas  \'ine\ard,  and  may  \vell  have  gone  to  sea  and  turned 
privateersman. 


Rhode    Island 

Historical  Society 
Collections 


Vol.  XXIII 


April,  1930 


No.  2 


iJ'^ 


%. 


"o 


FIREPLACE    AND    OPEN    CUPnOARO    IN    THE 
STEPHEN      HOPKINS      HOUSE,      PROVIDENCE 


See  Page  55 


Issued  Quarterly 


68  Waierman  Street,  Providence,  Rhode  Island 


CONTENTS 


Early  College  Performances  of  Otway 

in  Providence  by  Harold  Karl  Halpert         .  33 

The  Samuel  Sewall  School  Land  and 

The  Kingston  Academy  by  William  Davis 

Miller 42 

Map  of  PawtLixet,  1661 48 

Notes 50 

Heraldic  Note,  Dyer 53 

The  Stephen  Hopkins  House 

by  Norman  M.  Isham  .  .  Cover  and  54 

Dance  Regulations  of  1747  .  ...  56 

Map  of  Tittle  Compton,  1774     ....  60 

Treasurer's  Report     .  .  .  .  .  .  61 


RHODE 
HISTORICAL 


ISLAND 

SOCIETY 


'***«».i«i*'^ 


COLLECTIONS 


Vol.  XXIII 


April,  1930 


No.  2 


Addison  P.  Munroe,  President     Gilbert  A.  Harrington,  Treasurer 
Howard  W.  Preston,  Secretary  Ho\vard  M.  Chaimn,  Librarian 

The  Society  assumes  no  responsibilit\'  for  the  statements  or  the  opinions 
of  contributors. 


Early  College  Performances  of 
Otway  in  Providence 


By  Harold  Karl  Halpe 


RT 


On  May  27,  1782,  Rhode  Island  College  (now  Brown 
University )  reopened  after  having  been  closed  since  De- 
cember 7,  1  776.  The  entering  class  had  grown  up  with  the 
idea  of  liberty,  not  only  in  politics,  but  in  the  arts  and 
sciences  as  well.  The  new  books  purchased  for  the  college 
library  were  strikingly  secular  as  compared  with  those  that 
former  students  had  used.  The  700  pounds  set  aside  for 
books  in  1  784  went  for  the  works  of  such  writers  as  Colley 
Gibber,  William  Congreve,  and  John  Dryden.'  Among  the 
other  books  ordered  from  London  at  this  time  was  the 
three-volume  1757  set  of  Otway's  works.' 

The  eighteenth  century  placed  Otway  next  to  Shake- 


'History  of  Brown  University,  Professor  W.  C.  Bronson,  p.  109. 
"History  of  Brown  University,  Professor  W.  C.  Bronson,  p.  109. 

33 


34  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

speare^  and  already  in  this  country,  some  of  Otway's  plays 
had  been  performed  m  pioneer  dramatics.  Clapp,  in  his 
History  of  the  Boston  Stage^  writes  of  two  young  Eng- 
lishmen, who  in  1750,  "assisted  by  some  volunteer  com- 
rades from  the  town"  performed  the  Orphan  at  a  coffee- 
house in  that  city.'  But  Massachusetts,  still  a  stronghold  of 
Puritanism  in  1750,  frowned  on  the  disturbance  made  by 
an  eager  audience,  and  immediately  passed  laws  forbid- 
ding stage-plays.*  Two  years  later,  on  February  20,  1  752, 
Robert  Upton,  who  had  been  sent  to  New  York  by  Wil- 
liam Hallam,  then  manager  of  Goodman's  Fields  Theatre, 
to  make  arrangements  for  the  establishment  of  a  playhouse 
in  that  city,  gave  a  performance  of  Otway's  Venice  Pre- 
served at  the  Nassau  street  theatre." 

Plays  were  performed  in  Providence  as  early  as  1762 
by  Hallam's  Virginia  comedians,  a  company  well  reputed 
for  its  refinement  as  well  as  for  its  ability.''  This  English 
company  started  its  theatrical  activity  at  an  "Histrionic 
Academy"  on  Meeting  street,  east  of  Benefit  street,  near 
the  cadet  gun-house.'  In  a  petition  sent  to  the  General 
Assembly,  August  23,  1762,  some  four  hundred  citizens 
objected,  however,  to  the  production  of  stage-plays ^''  and 
the  very  next  day,  a  bill  forbidding  plays  and  playhouses 
was  pushed  through  both  houses  of  the  assembly."  John 
Brown,  the  most  prominent  citizen  of  the  town,  signed  an 
address  begging  permission  for  the  actors  to  give  their  per- 
formances. Indeed,  so  zealous  was  he  for  the  cause  of  the 
drama  that,  just  before  plays  had  been  conclusively  de- 
clared unlawful  in  Providence,  he  frustrated  the  impatient 
reformers,  who  threatened  to  mob  a  theatrical  perform- 


"Annals  of  the  New  York  Stage,  George  C.  D.  Odell,  p.  3  3. 

■^History  of  the  Providence  Stage,  George  O.  Willard,  p.  4. 

•'Ode]],' p.  44. 

''Wi]]ard,  p.  5. 

'Wi]]ard,  p.  12. 

^'Willard,  p.   13. 

•'Providence  in  Coionia]  Times,  Gertrude  S.  Kimball,  p.  308. 


Che 


Tvvn^ 


C  A  P  I  N. 


s  c  E  i^^:$^^ 

EnUt  O c T  A  V I A  K  and\x^ij0if , 


tat, 


OCT  AVI  AJJ. 


•^   T  ^*V       W"^**  Monlh*. 


;  I  dtJ  doc  «)rp«Ail^K'j 


'^t\        ||itiiro  Months,  aod  >ret  your  fiif.ht  i|>    I 
Tn  but  too  true.  ^ 

kocTAFiAN.         s,%:Tr 
That  he  arriv'd  this  Mgiing  f 
sWj  f  T. 
This  very  Momiog- 

OCT  J  r /AN. 
I-  And  tbMt  lie  m  come  wit&  «Re(olaioii  to  nvprry.  9^ 


SHJFf, 


■Mirtti^M    %-  „    ■ 


r>  < 


35 


NICHOLAS  brown's  RECORD  OF  THK  APRII,,    I  78  5,   PERFORM  ANCK  OF  THE 
CHEATS  OF   SCAPIN 

Page  253,  Vol.  I,  Works  of  Mr.  Thojnas  Oizcay,  (London,  1757) 
i/j  the  John  Hay  Library,  Brown  University 


36  RHODF.  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

ance,  by  borrowing  a  cannon  from  the  neighboring  gun- 
house  for  the  protection  of  the  theatre.'"  By  October,  1  774, 
however,  Congress  passed  an  act  which  definitely  closed  all 
the  theatres  in  all  the  states/' 

No  theatrical  performances  are  recorded  for  Providence 
from  August,  1762,  until  late  in  December,  1792,  when 
Joseph  Harper's  company  performed  at  the  Court  Houses 
and  it  has  been  assumed  that  there  were  none.  To  be  sure, 
Professor  Bronson  points  out  that  the  college  laws  of  1783 
emphasized  public  speaking  and  disputes  ^  he  tells  us  that 
there  was  a  "Pronouncing  Society",  whose  purpose  was  to 
improve  the  art  of  speaking,  but  that  "athletic,  musical  and 
dramatic  clubs  were  undreamed  of,  and  indeed  there 
would  have  been  little  leisure  for  them  with  the  prescribed 
routine.""  Prohibition,  however,  does  not  prevent  boot- 
legging, even  of  drama;  and  it  is  to  the  credit  of  the 
students  of  Rhode  Island  College  that  they  gave  a  per- 
formance of  ^'oung's  Revenge,  with  Otway's  Cheats  of 
Scaphi  as  an  afterpiece,  in  April,  1785 ;''  and  repeated  the 
farce  in  1792  before  Joseph  Harper  was  allowed  to  per- 
form in  Providence. 

The  evidence  for  these  performances  is  written  in  the 
1757  edition  of  Otway,  bought  by  the  college  in  1784,  and 
still  in  the  John  Hay  library.  On  page  253  of  the  first 
volume,  written  across  the  first  page  of  the  Cheats  of 
Scapiri,  is  the  following  inscription: 

"Acted  in  the  Hall  in  Provid  |  ence]  "  by  the  Gentlemen 
preceding  the  Printed  Characters  [,]"  as  a  Farce  to  the 
"Revenge  ["]''  April:  1785  With  Great  Applause  Nicho' 
Brown". 


I'Wlllard,  p.  15. 

"Willard,  p.   10. 

•^"Bronson,  p.  1  0  5. 

^^Two  years  before,  Dennis  Ryan's  company  had  presented  the 
^Cheats  of  'Scafin  in  far  more  liberal  New  York,  on  June  28,  1783,  as 
an  afterpiece  to  Home's  Fatal  Discovery.    (Odell,  pp.  226-227) 

i^These  characters  have  been  cut  away  by  the  bookbinder. 


EARLY   COLI.KCK    I'KKFORM AXCKS  OF  OTWAV 


37 


Ihis  must  have  been  a  public  performance,  because  the 
whole  student  bociy,  which  in  1785  consisted  of  thirty- 
seven  young  men,  eight  of  whom  took  part  in  the  farce, 
hardly  furnished  a  sufficient  audience.  Nicholas  Brown^ 
who  took  the  part  of  Octavian  and  signed  himself  as  the 
secretary,  either  of  the  society  or  the  enterprise,  wrote 
"preceding  the  Printed  Characters"  on  page  208  the  names 
of  the  cast.  When  after  hard  wear  the  book  was  rebound, 
the  binder  trimmed  the  edges  so  well  that  only  the  last 
letters  of  these  names  remain  j  but  I  have  completed  the 
list  by  consulting  the  class  lists  between  1786  and  1788. 
As  there  were  only  thirty-seven  undergraduates,  there  can 
be  virtually  no  doubt  as  to  the  accuracy  of  the  following 
cast: 


MEN 


I  Woo  Ids 

I  Car  Iter 

!  Br  I  own 

'  Ann  I  an 
At]  well 
Kol  I  lock 
Blacki  jnton 


Cro  I  uch 
Bo  I  wen 
Jabez 


WOMEN 


Thrifty 

Ciripe 

Octavian 

Leander 

Scapin 

Shift 

Sly 

Lucia 
Clara 


Under  this  cast  we  find  the  following  inscription: 
"A  true  copy  W^itness  Nicholas  Brown,  Sec."  The  edge 
of  the  page  reveals  another  phrase,  "Acted  in  the  Hall,  ."j 
but  the  rest  of  the  sentence  has  been  cut  away. 

All  but  three  in  this  list  were  in  the  class  of  1786,  the 
first  class  to  graduate  after  the  Revolution.  Crouch  was  in 
the  class  of  1  787,  while  Atwell  and  Blackinton  were  in  the 
class  of  1788.    Our  only  uncertaint\'  concerns  the  Annan 


38  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

who  played  Leander,  since  there  were  two  Annans  in  the 
class  of  1786.  There  is  also  the  name  Shaw  written  oppo- 
site the  name  of  Scapin  on  page  208 ;  and  we  cannot  deter- 
mine whether  this  was  a  reference  to  Jahaziah  Shaw  in  the 
class  of  1792,  or  to  John  Shaw  in  the  class  of  1805.  The 
name  would  seem  to  indicate  that  this  Shaw  was  a  substi- 
tute for  the  part. 

Seven  years  later,  in  1792,  liberal  Providence  was  in 
favor  of  repealing  the  laws  against  the  drama.  The  suc- 
cessful Cheats  of  ScapiJi  was  evidently  revived;  for  oppo- 
site the  first  appearance  of  each  character  in  the  text  is 
written,  in  a  hand  not  Nicholas  Brown's,  the  name  of  a 
student  in  the  class  of  1792.  We  do  not  know  just  when 
the  play  was  given,  but  it  must  have  been  perfornied  be- 
fore the  commencement  in  September,  1  792.  If  it  were  a 
senior  play,  as  the  cast  might  indicate,  it  must  have  been 
given  between  1791  and  1792.  The  names  appear  in  the 
following  order;' " 

Peter  x^lden  Octavian 

Paraclite  Tew  Shift 

Jahaziah  Sha[w]'"  Scapin 

R[ichard]"  Stites  Clara 

Eben|ezer]"  Withingtofn  |"  Thrifty 

Nfathaniel  |  '  Hazzard"  Gripe 

[  Bildad  | ' '  Barney  Leander 

When  the  class  graduated,  Th(jmas  C.  Hazard,  another 
senior,  delivered  an  "Oration  on  the  Theatre." 

So  encouraging  now  was  the  outlook  for  drama  in  Provi- 
dence that  Joseph  Harper,  arrested  in  Boston  for  giving 
plays,  decided  to  come  to  the  town  in  1792.  Here  he  ar- 
rived late  in  December,  obvioush'  some  months  after  this 

•"^No  names  appear  beside  the  parts  of  Sly  and  Lucia. 
■'"'^These  letters  have  been  cut  away. 

-^'I  have  completed  the  names  Irom  the   1792  class  list. 
■"^This  name  has  onlv  one  "z"  in  the  catalogue. 


Pcrfons  rcprcfented  in  tlic  Tr  a  g  f.  d  v. 
M  E  N. 

Titmt  Veffafutn,  F.mperor  of  Rt-nt,  Mr.  Btiterttn. 

AHlf»<hui,  King  of  Ccosi/^i'/rr,  Mr.  Snttf!'. 

PauUnus,  ilic  KinpfrorN  ConfiJcnf,  Mr.  M,.u:urr. 

Arfmut^  AutioKLui  his  L'ontiJent,  Mr.  C'cjly. 

\  Rutihus,  a  Iribune,  Mr.  CiL'txi: 

i  W  O  M  F.  N. 

*  B<.eni,f,QviCcn  of  P.iffjim/,  ^Tr;.  /.,r. 

I  PitCKUf,  her  Contidciu,  Mr«.  Bany. 

The    S  C  E  N  E.     ^  O  M  E. 


R  Perfons   rcprcfented    in    the   F  a  r  c  f.      J 

Wr«^<j-4 Cheat,  #eMu^  ^ ^-.  Jnth.  Lctgf-. ■    -" 

5v'        i  ^<'''/""  Imlromcnu,  |  ,^^^*    '^       ;^.  j,i 

U«^v<^/'<z>  TAr//>;¥1>.*jj;hrpT.  J^^l^^^^Bhrrj. 

^k^'tira,  Crtjk't  Oa^^ht<n.  HtHu 

'When  after  hard  wear  the  book  was  rebound,  the  binder  trimmed  the 
edges  so  well  that  only  the  last  letters  of  these  names  remain    .    .    ." 

Page  208,  \'ol.  I,  Works  of  Mr.  Thomas  Otzvay,   (London,   1757) 
ifi  the  John  Has  Library,  Brozcii  Unhersity 


40  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

second  college  performance  of  Otway's  Cheats  of  Scaphi. 
Harper  was  permitted  to  present  dramas  at  the  Court 
House,  on  condition  that  the  receipts  for  every  fifth  night 
should  be  turned  over  to  the  town  treasury/''  Three  years 
later,  in  1795,  many  prominent  citizens  came  together  to 
make  plans  for  the  building  of  a  real  theatre.  John  Brown 
gave  the  lot  at  the  corner  of  Westminster  and  Mathewson 
streets,  where  the  Grace  Church  now  stands,  and  he  also 
subscribed  for  seven  shares  of  stock.'" 

In  1803,  during  the  third  term,  there  was  another  per- 
formance of  the  Cheats  of  Scapin.  The  actors  in  this  pro- 
duction belonged  to  the  class  of  1805.  Their  nanies  are 
also  listed  on  page  208  of  the  first  volume  of  Otway's 
works  :"^ 

""[John]  Shaw  Thrifty 

[John  I   Howe  Ciripe 

I  Benjamin]  James  Octavian 

[Samuel  P.]  Loud  Leander 

I  Samuel]   Deane  Scapin 

I  Philip  M.]  Fiske''  Shift 

JBoJling  M.]  Walker  Sly 

Under  the  circumstances,  of  course,  audiences  were  not 
to  be  shocked;  and  the  text  is  freely  expurgated  with  pen 
marks,  even  to  such  terms  as  "damme",  "damnably",  "a 
pox  on  him",  as  well  as  the  immodest  reference  to  babies 
contained  in  the  phrase,  "after  the  getting  of  'em".  The 
true   and  eternal   undergraduate   is  represented  in   other 


'^'WiUard,  p.  21. 

-"Willard,  p.  2  5. 

~^We  do  not  know  who  took  the  parts  of  Lucia  and  Clara. 

""I  have  supplied  the  first  names  of  the  performers  from  the  180  5 
class  list. 

"^This  PMskc  belongs  to  the  class  of  1803.  There  was  a  Fisk,  (no 
final  "e")  in  the  class  of  1805,  but  the  handwriting  in  the  Otway 
shows  a  final  "e". 


EARLY   COLLKCK    I'KRIOR  M  ANCKS  OF   OTWAV  4I 

inscriptions,  such  as,  "A.  Draper  wrote  this,  1767".  One 
student  wrote  at  the  enci  of  Act  III  of  Friendship  in  Fash- 
ion y  one  of  Otway's  indecent  comedies:  "Mr.  Otway  you 
are  too  bad  you  raise  my  animal  vigour  to  an  high  pitch." 
He  comments  agani  after  Go(jd\ile's  declaration  to  "Love 
where  1  please":  "Not  as  you  knows  off."  On  another 
page,  in  regard  to  the  ridiculous  scene  in  the  Soldier^s 
Fortioie^  where  Davy  Dunce  is  persuaded  that  Beaugard 
is  a  ghost,  one  student  wrote:  "Taken  from  Shakespeare." 
Another  was  contemptuous  enough  to  comment:  "A 
damn'd  foolish  thought."  One  student  wrote  after  the 
Atheist:  "Your  end  is  better  than  your  beginning,  Otway." 
Another  says  in  the  volume  which  contains  the  comedies: 
"Each  of  these  plays  is  spoiled  at  both  ends  anci  in  the 
micidle."  Still  another,  perhaps  dissatisfied  with  the  re- 
marks, added  a  cryptogram  in  pencil:  "B  not  yy  ^^"'^^ 
for  if  \'ou  B  you  c  how  A  fool  you  B."  At  the  end  of 
Alcibicides  another  reader  deplores  the  art  of  Otway  in 
this  comment:  "How  much  more  interesting  this  play  had 
been  if  truth  had  guided  the  pen  of  the  author,  if  he  had 
adhered  to  historical  facts." 

Someone  jotted  the  name  of  Mason  Shaw  opposite  the 
name  of  despicable  Antonio  in  the  notorious  comic  scene  in 
Venice  Preserved ^  either  as  an  undergraduate  compliment, 
or  possibly  to  indicate  the  actor  of  the  part.  Indeea,  this 
play  has  several  stage  directions  in  the  text,  but  not  enough 
to  indicate  that  it  was  ever  presented. 

One  of  my  most  interesting  discoveries  in  Volume  III  of 
the  set  is  a  group  of  comments  in  shorthand.  I  have  iden- 
tified the  system  as  that  of  John  Byron's  froni  a  copy  of 
his  Universal  English  Shorthand  (  Manchester,  1  767),  but 
I  have  not  transcribed  the  notes  with  any  degree  of  success. 
This  copy  of  Byrom's  shorthand  book  is  also  in  the  John 
Hay  librarv. 


42  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

The  Samuel  Scwall  School  Land 
and  the  Kingston  Academy 

( Concluded) 
William  Davis  Miller 

It  was  shortly  after  the  year  1819,  when  the  Sewall 
School  was  moved  from  Tower  Hill,  that  several  of  the 
leading  men  of  Little  Rest  purchased  an  eighth  of  an  acre 
of  land  situated  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  North  Road  of 
that  village  and  built  thereupon  a  school  house  for  the  use 
of  the  school.  On  March  1 3,  1  823,  these  same  men,  "to  aid 
in  raising  the  present  school  into  an  academy,  to  be  called 
the  Pettasquamscutt  Academy"  agreed  to  give  this  prop- 
erty to  the  academy  "whenever  such  academy  shall  be  in- 
corporated."^ 

This  was  accomplished  at  the  May  Session  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  in  the  same  year  and  a  charter  was  granted 
providing  that  Oliver  Brown,  Elisha  R.  Potter,  James 
Helme,  Robert  F.  Noyes,  Thomas  R.  Wells,  Thomas  G. 
Taylor,  Wilkins  Updike,  John  T.  Nicholls  and  William  P. 
Newall  .  .  .  hereby  are  made  and  constitute  a  body  politic 
and  corporate  ...  by  the  name  and  style  of  the  Trustees 
of  the  Pettasquamscutt  Academy  for  the  purpose  ...  of 
erecting  said  school  now  called  the  Pettasquamscutt  School 
into  an  Academy."'  It  is  to  be  noted  that  in  the  charter  there 
was  nothing  expressed  or  implied  that  the  avails  of  the  Sew- 
all  land  were  to  be  used  for  this  academv.   It  is  evident  that 


^Original  in  the  Potter  Papers. 

"From  the  Record  Book  of  the  Kingston  Arademy.  From  the  collec- 
tion of  the  late  Judge  Elisha  R.  Potter.  F.  R.  Potter,  Sr.,  was  the  first 
president  of  the  Trustees  and  his  son,  Judge  Potter,  later  acted  as  Sec- 
retary and  was  ako  head  of  the  Classical  Department. 


THE  SAMUEL   SEWALL   SCHOOL   LAND  43 

the  a\'ails  were  intended  to  continue  as  being  part  of  the 
income  of  the  new  academy  and  therefore,  to  increase  them 
and  to  place  the  matter  on  a  better  foundation  the  Trus- 
tees of  the  academy  petitioned  the  General  Assembly  that 
the  land  be  sold  and  the  sums  so  received  be  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  Treasurer  of  the  Academy.  The  petition  sets 
forth  "that  after  the  decease  of  both  the  aforesaid  grantors, 
viz.  on  the  13  Nov.  1736,  the  heirs  at  law  of  the  aforesaid 
John  Walley  transferred  b\'  their  deed  of  that  date,  all 
their  right,  title,  interest  and  trust  ...  to  Samuel  Sewall, 
Esq.  son  of  the  original  grantors  .  .  .  that  the  said  Samuel 
Sewall  about  48  years  since,  viz.  in  the  year  1  775,  left  the 
United  States  and  went  to  foreign  parts  .  .  .  "'  It  is  there- 
fore on  this  ground  that  the  Trustees  of  the  Academy  base 
their  claim  to  the  avails  and  to  the  right  to  request  the  sale 
of  the  land.  The  petition  further  states  that  the  Minister 
of  the  Third  Church  and  the  Town  Treasurer  of  Boston 
were  still  acti\'e  in  the  appointment  of  the  teacher  for  the 
school. 

The  Assembly  referred  this  petition  to  a  special  commit- 
tee, and  upon  its  fav^orable  report,  the  Act  permitting  the 
sale  of  the  lands  was  passed.  The  land  was  sold  in  April, 
1  825,  and  the  report  made  two  months  later  showed  a  bal- 
ance of  $4,268  which  was  invested,  as  provided  in  the  act, 
and  turned  over  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Academy.^ 

Subsequently  there  was  adverse  criticism  of  this  action 
of  the  transfer  of  the  funds  into  the  hands  of  the  Trustees, 
and  in  1836  the  Trustees  felt  themselves  called  upon  to 
publish  a  defensive  statement."  This  statement  sets  forth 
that  "the  power  of  the  Legislature  to  place  the  funds  in 


^A    StateniCNt    of    Farts   in    relation    to    the    juruls    of   the   Kingston 
Acadefnx,  Providence,  1836. 

''Original  statements  in  the  Potter  Papers  and  entered  in  the  Record 
Book. 

■''See  Note  3. 


44  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

the  hands  of  the  present  Trustees,  we  believe  has  never 
been  disputed.  .  .  .  The  original  Trustees  or  their  heirs, 
having  neglected  the  trust,  and  there  being  no  person  em- 
powered to  manage  the  land  or  to  procure  a  schoolmaster, 
it  became  necessary  that  the  new  Trustees  should  be  ap- 
pointed for  that  purpose."  They  further  state  that  for 
several  years  a  certain  amount  was  set  aside  for  charity 
scholars  and  that  scholars  from  the  Pettasquamscutt  Pur- 
chase received  special  attention  and  were  not  in  any  way 
prejudiced  by  the  many  scholars  received  from  without 
the  Purchase.  In  ending  the  Trustees  "challange  the 
severest  scrutiny  into  their  conduct,  and  they  are  not  only 
ready  but  anxious  for  an  investigation  of  the  whole  sub- 
ject by  impartial  judges  and  a  legitimate  tribunal." 

In  the  meantime  the  Academy  was  steadily  growing 
and  the  minutes  in  the  old  record  book  are  an  interesting- 
commentary  on  its  progress  and  subsequent  decline: 

"August  23,  1825  .  .  .  \'oted  That  Asa  Potter  be 
employed  for  the  ensuing  year,  as  Preceptor,  of  the 
Academy  .  .  .  and  that  he  receive  toward  his  compensa- 
tion one  hundred  and  tifty  dollars  from  the  avails  of  the 
funds  of  the  Academy. 

September  1,  1825  Voted  That  the  Treasurer  be  instruc- 
ted and  authorized  to  .  .  .  recast  the  Academy  bell.  .  .  . 
By  Act  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Rhode 
Island  etc  holden  at  Newport,  in  May,  1826,  the  name 
Kingston  was  substituted  for  Pettiquamscut  in  the  name 
of  the  Academy.   .   .   . 

August  30,  1826  engaged  Mr.  Elisha  Atkins  as  Pre- 
ceptor. .  .  .  stipulating  to  give  him  for  his  services  one 
hundred  &  fifty  dollars  from  the  Treasury  beside  the  Tui- 
tion of  the  scholars. 

March  26,  1829  it  was  proposed  to  divide  the  Academy 
into  two  departments,  one  to  be  kept  by  the  Preceptor  and 
limited  principally  to  the  Learned  Languages  and  the 
higher  branches  of  an  English  Education;  the  other  for 


THK  SAMIKL   SICWALI,   SCHOOL    LAND  45 

the  more  common  branches  of  English  to  be  kept  by  an 

Assistant 

Jul}'    14,    1830   \'oted   that  a   morning  recitation    in   the 
Academy  be  recomniencied  to  the  Instructors.   .    . 
May  27  1831  \'oted,  that  the  Treasurer  be  authorized  to 
provide  blinds  for  the  South   and   East  winciows  of  the 

Academy " 

Voted,  that  the  Trustees  attend  all  public  examinations  of 
the  Academy,  or  in  default  thereof  pay  to  the  Treasurer 

for  each  absence  one  dollar 

December  1  5,  183  1  .  .  .  Mr.  William  Gammell  of  New- 
port was  engaged  (as  principle)  .  .  .  .' 
March  12  1832  Voted,  That  the  Treasurer  be  authorized 
...  to  have  printed  400  copies  of  the  Catalogue  of  the 
Trustees,  Instructors  &  Students  of  the  Academy  from 
A.  D.  1819  to  the  Term  ending  April  26,  A.D.  183i.  .  .  .' 
April  9.  1832  Voted  that  Elisha  R.  Potter,  Jr.  be  engaged 
as  Instructor  in  the  Latin  SchooJ  Mr  Gammell  wishing 
to  resign. 

June  25,  1832  That  the  Treasurer  be  .  .  .  authorized  to 
hire  .  .  .  four  hundreci  dollars. for  the  purpose  of  en- 
larging the  Acad'y.    .    .    . 

April  3  1834  Voted  that  the  tuition  fee  in  the  higher 
branches  of  the  Mathematics  shall  hereafter  be  four  dol- 
lars. 

January  7,  1836  Voted  that  the  Standing  Committee  be 
authorized  to  take  measures  for  the  establishment  of  a 
female  school  as  a  branch  of  the  Academy  .  .  . 
March  17,  1836  Voted  that  the  charges  for  instruction  in 
the  different  branches  of  knowledge  taught  in  the  Academy 
be  as  follows;  viz;  for  the  comnion  English  studies  to 
those  belonging  to  Pettiquamscut  Purchase,  two  dollars; 


''This  Acadcm\'  building  was  burned  to  the  ground  in   1SX2. 
'Later  professor  at  Brown  University. 
*This  catalogue  was  reprinted  in   1901. 


4.6  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

for  do  to  scholars  from  out  of  the  Purchase;  three  dollars: 
for  surveying,  navigation  and  the  higher  branches  of 
mathematics;  four  dollars;  for  the  Latin  and  Greek 
languages,  five  dollars,  pr  quarter. 

Voted,  that  the  President  sign  and  forward  to  the  Minister 
of  the  Third  Church  in  Boston  and  the  Treasurer  of  said 
City  a  letter  explaining  the  present  situation  and  circum- 
stances of  the  Academy.   .   .   . 

November  18,  1843  Voted  that  the  Lower  room  of  the 
Academy  be  leased  to  the  1  rustees  of  the  Sewal  Fund 
for  a  rent  of  $25  per  annum. 

Under  the  entry  of  July  23  184-t-  the  Presicient  is  au- 
thorized to  lease  the  Academy  building  and  grounds  to 
School  District  No.  3  for  a  period  of  twenty  years  with  the 
provisions  that  "they  permit  the  Sewal  Trustees  to  keep 
their  school  therein  without  any  charge  therefor  for  rent 
upon  the  scholars  from  within  the  District  .  .  ."  This  is 
the  last  entry  in  the  record  book  pertaining  to  the  Academy 
relative  to  its  connection  to  the  Sewall  Fund. 

It  has  already  been  noted  that  there  was  criticism  of  the 
Academy  Trustees  regarding  their  use  of  the  Sewall  Fund; 
a  criticism  so  serious  that  it  had  called  forth  a  detailed 
statement  of  justification  on  their  part.  The  matter  was 
evidently  carried  still  farther  and  a  correspondence  with 
the  Minister  of  the  Third  Church  and  the  Treasurer  of 
Boston  is  recorded.  The  end  of  this  situation  came  in  1 840 
at  the  May  term  of  the  Supreme  Court  when  a  decree  was 
entered  prescribing  the  manner  in  which  the  Sewall  Fund 
should  be  employed  by  the  Trustees  and,  shortly  after- 
wards, a  further  decree  removed  the  fund  from  the 
Trustees  and  placed  it  in  the  hands  of  others.  For  a  while 
the  Academy  and  the  Sewal  Fund  Trustees  occupied  the 
:same  building,  as  is  shown  by  the  entry  of  November  18, 
1 843,  but  friction  was  apparent  and,  as  result,  the  Academy 
built  a  new  building.  On  August  31,  1853  the  new  school, 
known  as  the  Kingston  Seminary,  was  dedicated  "in  the 


THE  SAMUKL  SEWALr,  SCHOOL   LAND 


47 


presence  of  a  large  and  highly  respectable  audience."  This 
school  was  at  first  for  both  boys  and  girls  but  two  years 
later  it  was  changed  to  the  Kingston  Female  Seminary, 
encountered  difficulties  and  in  1861  the  building  was 
mortgaged  and  two  years  later,  sold." 

Before  concluding,  it  is  of  interest  to  examine  the  cata- 
logue issued  by  the  Academy  under  the  authorization  of 
March  12  1832.  The  Teachers  of  the  Classical  Depart- 
ment were,  from  time  to  time,  Nathaniel  Helme,  Hin- 
man  B.  Hoyt,  William  G.  Hammond,  Asa  Potter,  Wil- 
liam Gragg,  Elisha  Atkins,  Henry  M.  Davis,  William 
Gammell  and  Elisha  R.  Potter,  Jr.  Christopher  Com- 
stock  would  appear  to  have  remained  the  head  of  the  Eng- 
lish Department  throughout.  That  the  list  of  scholars 
contained  the  names  of  many  men  well  known  in  the  State 
and  also  those  of  other  States  and  foreign  countries  is 
shown  from  the  following  extract  from  the  catalogue: 

Henry  M.  Aborn,  Warwick^  Benjamin  B.  Adams, 
Providence;  Albert  Babcock,  Westerly;  Thomas  S.  Boz- 
man,  West  Indies;  Stephen  Branch,  Providence;  Henry 
Bull,  Newport;  William  Bule,  Matanzas,  Cuba;  Antonio 
Ramos  Silveira  Coutinho,  Fayal,  Azores,'"  Joseph  Rodri- 
quez  y  Duval,  Minorca,  Medit'n;  Charles  H.  D'Wolf, 
Newport;  Christopher  Green,  Powtowomut;  William 
Harris,  Cranston;  Mark  Anthony  D'Wolf  Howe,  Bristol; 
William  D.  Davis,  N.  Kingstown;  Benj.  P.  Ravenal, 
Newport;  Alexander  G.  Coffin,  Nantucket,  Mass.;  Henry 
Hoppin,  Jr.,  Providence;  Henry  Lippitt,  Providence; 
Francis  Grinnell,  New  Bedford,  Mass.;   Charles  Sabin, 


■'State  of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations  at  the  End  of  the 
Century,  Edward  Field  cd.,  1902.  \'o!.  II,  p.  361,  and  also  Record  Book 
of  the  Kingsto?!  Academy. 

'"With  reference  to  pupils  from  foreign  countries  it  is  interesting  to 
note  an  entry  in  the  minutes  of  the  Records  of  the  Kingston  Seminary: 
"It  was  adopted  as  a  rule  that  hereafter  pupils  from  abroad  will  be  re- 
quired to  present  testimonials  of  good  moral  character." 


48 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


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MAP    OF    PAUruXET 


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/6(5;  /•//  r/ie  Society's  liurury.    (R.  I.  H.  S.  M.  9]S.) 


50  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Providence;   John   H.   Wells,  Kingston   and  Charles  A. 
Scott,  Charleston,  S.  C. 

Tuition  fees  have  been  noted  in  the  minutes  of  the 
meeting,  but  there  are  other  items  of  expense  which  are 
of  comparative  interest  to-day  as;  "The  price  of  board 
including  washing,  in  the  family  of  the  English  Instruc- 
tor," or  in  other  private  families  is  $1.50  per  week." 
This  was  later  increased  by  twenty-five  cents.  "A  trifling 
sum"  was  also  added  to  this  in  winter  for  light  and  fuel. 
Regarding  discipline  the  following  was  promulgated:  "It 
is  expected  that  the  pupils  be  accountable  to  the  Instruc- 
tors for  all  improprieties  of  conduct — that  they  attend 
regularly  the  public  worship  of  the  sabbath,  and  on  all 
occasions  exhibit  a  fair  moral  character — that  they  always 
ask  permission  of  the  Instructors  for  absence  from  town, 
from  church,  or  from  the  stated  exercises  of  the  Academy. 
The  Instructors  will  always  aini  to  exercise  over  their 
pupils  a  paternal  government,  and  to  form  within  them 
decidedly  moral  and  useful  characters." 


NOTES 

The  Texas  AionihI\\  for  November,  1929,  contains  an 
article  on  the  origin  of  banking  in  Texas,  in  which  there  are 
many  references  to  Samuel  May  Williams,  one  of  the  early 
Texas  bankers.  He  was  born  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  Oct.  4, 
1795,  and  was  the  son  of  Howell  Williams. 

The  Afitjquar'uuiy  for  January,  1930,  contains  an  illus- 
trated account  of  a  Goddard  tea-table  by  Norman  M. 
Isham. 


"The  house  of  Christopher  Comstock,  the  English  Instructor,  was 
situated  next  to  the  Academv  on  the  North.  The  house  still  stands  and 
is  to  this  day  known  as  the  Comstock  House.  Certain  details  of  its  ar- 
rangement still  evidence  its  occupancy  b}'  the  pupils. 


NOTES 


51 


The  fi^llowing  persons  have  been  admitted  tu  member- 
ship in  the  Society: 


Mr.  Josiah  M.  Barnev 
Mrs.  Herbert  G.  Beede 
Mr.  Thomas  B.  Card 
Miss  Eunice  W.  Dexter 
Mrs.  Harriet  M.  F.  Dixon 
Hon.  Peter  G.  Gerr\- 
Miss  Maude  E.  Armstrong 
Gen.  John  J.  Richards 
Miss  Lucy  T.  Aldrich 
Mr.  Thomas  L.  Pierce 
Mrs.  Augustus  A.  Wolf 
Mrs.  F.  H.  Peckham 
Mrs.  R.  C.  Davis 
Miss  Esther  F.  Greene 
Dr.  Katherine  F.  Peckham 
Dr.  Arthur  M.  Potter 
Mr.  Charles  H.  Welling 
Miss  Helen  G.  Calder 
Mr.  Joseph  G.  Henshaw 
Miss  Mary  G.  Henshaw 
Mrs.   Edward  H.  Weeks 
Mr.   Edward  H.  Weeks 
Mr.   Percv  J.  Wilson 


Mr.  William  L.  Joyce 
Dr.  Lewis  H.  Kalloch 
Mrs.  C.  K.  Rathbone 
Miss  Mary  A.  Harris 
Mrs.  G.  Richmond  Parsons 
Mr.  Kenneth  Shaw  Safe 
Mr.  Harry  V.  Mayo 
Mr.  Thomas  A.  Jenckes 
Mr.  Harry  B.  Sherman 
Benjamin  T.  Tefft,  IVI.D. 
Mrs.  William  P.  Buffum 
Mr.  Leonard  M.  Robinson 
Mr.  David  Duncan 
Mr.  Henry  A.  Street 
Frank  A.  Cummings,  M.D. 
Mr.  Walter  H.  Stearns 
Mrs.  Eugene  P.  King- 
Mrs.   Eugene  S.  Gra\'es 
Mr.    William  A.  Spicer 
Mrs.   Frank  W.  Tillinghast 
Joseph  Smith,  M.D. 
Mrs.   Wm.  L.  Hodgman 
Mrs.   Gorton  T,  Lippitt 


Mr.  \  ictor  Wilbour  has  presented  to  the  Societ\-  some 
old  Rhode  Island  books. 

Account  Books  Kept  by  Btnijani'ni  Franklin,  Ledger 
"D,"  l7S(j-]y4(j^  with  notes  by  George  Simpson  Eddy 
was  printed  in  New  York,  in  1929.  It  contains  Benjamin 
Franklin's  business  account  with  his  sister-in-law,  Ann 
Franklin,  the  Newport  printer,  from  1740  to  1745,  and 
his  account  with  his  nephew  James  Franklin  of  Newport, 
from  1748  to  1757.  Ann  Franklin  bought  paper,  ink  and 
books  of  Benjamin  Franklin.  ApparentK'  she  acted  as  a 
bookseller  as  well  as  a  printer.   It  is  interesting  to  note  that 


52  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

in  the  year  1740,  in  which  she  published  an  almanac,  she 
bought  only  300  almanacs  from  Benjamin,  but  that  in  the 
years  in  which  she  did  not  publish  an  almanac  her  purchases 
of  Benjamin's  almanacs  ran  from  600  to  11  00  a  year.  James 
Franklin  bought  mostly  paper  from  his  uncle.  Benjamin 
was  paid  by  Ann  Franklin  in  rum  and  by  James  L'ranklin 
in  sugar. 

A  detailed  and  exhaustive  genealogical  account  of  the 
Bordens  of  Headcorn,  in  Kent,  the  ancestors  of  the 
Bordens  of  Rhode  Island,  by  G.  Andrews  Moriarty, 
F.  S.  A.,  appears  in  the  January  and  April,  1930,  issues 
of  the  Ne-iv  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register. 

The  oration  delivered  by  Professor  B.  L.  Henin  on  July 
14,  1928,  at  the  dedication  of  the  monument  to  commemo- 
rate the  landing  of  the  French  troops  at  Newport,  has  been 
reprinted  as  a  pamphet  of  twelve  pages. 

The  Bulletin  of  the  Newport  Historical  Society  for 
January,  1930,  contains  an  account  of  the  Seventh  Day 
Baptist  Meeting  House  by  Mrs.  R.  Sherman  Elliott  and 
also  an  account  of  Ida  Lewis'  boat. 

Mr.  Richard  Ward  Greene  Welling  has  presented  to 
the  Society  a  large  photograph  of  the  Greene  Homestead 
at  Potowomut,  R.  I.,  which  was  the  birthplace  of  General 
Nathanael  Greene.  Chief  Justice  Richard  Ward  Greene 
is  seated  in  the  foreground.  A  reproduction  of  this  view 
of  this  historic  house  appears  on  page  611,  of  volume  3, 
of  Edward  Field's  State  of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence 
Plantations. 

Portraits  of  Governor  James  Fenner  and  his  wife,  which 
were  painted  by  Francis  Alexander,  have  been  presented 
to  the  Society  by  Mr.  Henry  D.  Sharpe.  Illustrations  of 
these  portraits  appeared  in  The  Evening  Bulletin  of 
January  14,  and  The  Providence  Sunday  Journal.,  of 
January  19.  Governor  Fenner  was  the  first  President  of 
the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Societv. 


NOTES 


53 


The  Aiitiquay'hui  for  I^Vhnian ,  contains  illustrations  of 
the  silver  punch  strainer  of  Jahez  Bowen  of  Providence, 
•dated  1/66,  and  of  a  silver  tankard  made  by  Samuel  Ver- 
non of  Newport. 

A  Pro'v'ulence  Episode  'ni  the  Insh  Literary  Rena'issauce 
by  Horace  Re\nolds  has  been  issued  bv  the  Study  Hill 
Club. 

The  Providence  World  War  Memorial  bv  Henry  T. 
.Samson  contains  a  list  of  the  Providence  soldiers  and  sailors 
who  died  in  the  World  War. 

Unafraid.    A  Life  of  Anne  Hutchinson  bv  Winnifred 
King    Rugg    has    just    been    published    by'  Houphton 
Mifflin  Co.  ^         ' 

Unger  Not  Alnger 
A  more  searching  study  of  the  old  handwriting  dis- 
closes the  fact  that  the  name  given  on  page  1 1,  of  volume 
23,  of  the  R.  L  //.  S.   Collections  as  Johann  Jeremias 
Alnger  should  have  been  given  as  Johann  Jereniias  Linger. 

HERALDIC  NOTES 

DVER 


In  the  R.  L  H.  S.  Collections  for  April,  1928,  (vol.  xxi, 
p.  76  )  there  is  the  illustration  of  a  coat-of-arms  "On  a  bend 


54  RHODE   ISLAND   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

cottised  three  crescents."  Two  uses  of  this  coat  are  re- 
corded, one  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  in  1660,  and  the  other 
in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1713.  Mr.  William  Allan  Dyer  has 
recently  discovered  a  third  use  of  these  arms  in  America. 
In  the  Massachusetts  Archives  (vol.  129,  p.  163)  there 
is  a  power  of  attorney  executed  on  August  20,  168  8,  by 
Mary  Dyer  of  Sussex  in  Pennsylvania,  widow  of  William 
Dyer,  in  favor  of  her  son  William  Dyer.  Mary  Dyer 
signed  and  sealed  this  document  in  the  presence  of  John 
Redwood  and  Samuel  Atkins  and  used  an  armorial  seal 
"On  a  bend  cottised  three  crescents,  impaling  a  fess 
dancetty  between  three  mullets"  with  the  crest  "An  arm 
embowed  holding  a  drawn  sword."  It  is  indeed  significant 
that  another  use  of  these  arms  by  a  member  of  the  Dyer 
family  has  been  discovered.  The  identity  of  William  Dyer 
of  Sussex  has  been  established,  as  Major  William  Dyer, 
son  of  William  Dyer,  one  of  the  founders  of  Newport. 

The  Stephen   Hopkins   House 

The  house  of  Governor  Stephen  Hopkins  stood  origin- 
ally on  South  Main  Street  at  the  corner  of  the  present 
Hopkins  Street.  Governor  Hopkins  bought  the  lot  of 
John  Field  in  1 743.  There  was  then  a  house  upon  it.  This 
was  apparently  used  in  the  ell  of  a  new  dwelling  which 
Hopkins  built  facing  South  Main  Street  on  the  front  of 
the  lot.  For  the  frames  of  these  two  parts  of  the  house 
are  entirely  independent  and  the  second  floors  are  not 
at  the  same  level. 

In  1809,  the  land  was  acquired  by  Brown  and  Ives 
and  the  house  was  moved  to  a  lot  on  Hopkins  Street  di- 
rectly east  of  the  corner  lot. 

In  1927,  the  Providence  County  Court  House  Commis- 
sion, carrying  out  the  directions  of  the  General  Assembly,, 
set  the  house  in  its  present  position. 

The   front   doorway   and   door,  some   of   the   window 


THE  STKI'HEN  fK)I>RINS  HOUSE  cc 

frames  and  all  hut  one  of  the  sash  are  new.  The  back  door 
IS  a  copy  of  the  old  one.  1  he  underpinning  and  the  steps 
are,  of  course,  modern.  The  roof  has  been  shingled,  but 
the  chimneys  are  old. 

The  entry  leads  across  the  front  block  of  the  house.  On 
the  right  of  it  is  the  door  to  the  parlor,  on  the  left  that 
to  the  north  room  so  called  from  its  old  position  as  the 
house  stood  on  South  Main  Street. 

The  stairs  are  original.  They  are  of  maple  and  two  or 
three  of  the  risers  have  the  "curly"  grain.  One  baluster 
and  two  drops  had  to  be  replaced.  The  plastering,  which 
was  cracked  and  soiled,  has  been  mended  and  surfaced 
with  Swedish  putty.  The  floor  boards  are  original.  They 
have  been  slightly  stained  and  finished. 

In  the  parlor  and  the  north  room  the  mantels  are  old. 
So  are  the  doors.  The  parlor  mantel  is  excellent,  with  a 
fine  open  cupboard  in  the  overmantel.  There  was  no  shelf 
on  the  mantel,  but  the  cupboard  was  provided  with  three, 
and  was  finished  with  a  beautiful  carved  shell  at  the  top.' 
The  floors  in  these  rooms  are  original  also,  they  are  those 
on  which  walked  Hopkins  and  Washington. 

There  are  paneled  overdoors  in  the  parlor. 

In  the  keeping  room,  part  of  the  ell  which  may  once 
have  been  John  Field's  house,  the  flnish  is  very  simple. 
Here  the  floor  is  new  as  it  is  in  the  "bedroom  below,"  on 
the  east  side  of  the  house.  The  corner  cupboard  is  new, 
built  to  hold  china  which  was  meant  for  use  and  not  for 
exhibition.  In  the  passage  between  the  keeping  room  and 
the  parlor  is  the  window  with  its  original  sash. 

In  the  second  story  the  parlor  chamber,  that  is  the 
room  over  the  parlor,  has  an  interesting  paneled  over- 
mantel and  the  original  floor.  This  was  Washington's 
room. 

The  north  chamber,  a  sniall  rooni  over  the  north  room 
below,  has  a  low  mantel.  The  floor  here  is  old. 

At  the  end  of  the  ell  the  two  chambers  were  made,  after 


^6  RHODE  ISLAND   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Hopkins'  time,  out  of  the  original  kitchen  chamber,  which 
was  really  nothing  more  than  a  garret. 

The  furniture  in  the  house  represents,  except  for  the 
chair,  now  at  Brown  University,  which  stood  in  the  entry, 
and  the  clock  and  ciesk  which  were  in  the  parlor,  the 
furniture  which  belonged  to  Governor  Hopknis  at  his 
death  as  it  is  set  forth  in  the  inventory  now  on  record  at 
the  City  Hall.  As  some  pieces  which  we  should  naturally 
€xpect  to  find  are  not  recorded,  it  is  possible  that  they  had 
been  given  to  Ruth,  his  daughter-in-law,  or  to  Rufus, 
his  son,  before  Governor  Hopkins'  death. 

The  house  is  open  to  the  public  on  Tuesdays,  Thurs- 
days, and  Saturdays  from  two  to  five  in  the  afternoon. 

N.  M.  I. 

Dance  ReQ:ulations  of  1747 

Among  the  Freebody  Papers,  which  were  recently  pre- 
sented to  the  Society  by  Miss  Elizabeth  Norton,  are  sev- 
eral manuscripts  relating  to  the  dances  held  in  Newport 
from  1747  to  1751.   One  of  these  papers*  is  as  follows: 

Rules  for  the  Regulation  of  the  Assembly  Commenced 
Octbr  28th:  1747  in  Newport. 
1st:   Every  member  at  the  time  of  Subscription  shall  pay 
the  Steward  Four  Pounds,  To  defray  the  Charges 
of  the  First  and  Second  Evenings. 
2nd:  That  on  the  first  Night  of  our  Meeting  as  well  as  at 
other  times,  Every  Member  shall  pay  Fourty  Shil- 
lings to  the  Steward,  that  he  may  always  have  a 
Sufficient  Stock  in  advance  to  defray  the  Expence  of 
the  two  Subsequent  Evenings. 
3rd:  That  a  Steward  or  Master  of  the  Ceremony  shall  be 
chosen  from  Among  the  Subscribers,  who  shall  Con- 
tinue in  office  A  Fortnight  or  two  Evenings,  At  the 

*R.  1.  H.  S.  M.  S.  XI,  99. 


DANCE    RK(,LI..\IIO\S    OF     1747  rj 

Expiration  of  which  time  he  shall  appoint  another 
ot  the  Subscribers  to  Succeed  him  To  Whom  he 
shall  give  an  exact  account  of  the  Money  Received 
and  disbursed;  in  a  regular  book  to  be  open  to  the 
Inspection  of  all  the  Members,  And  in  which  shall 
be  a  Copy  of  these  Rules  and  orders  to  be  kept  for 
that  purpose. 

4th:  The  Steward  shall  be  obliged  to  Nominate  a  person 
to  Succeed  him  who  has  not  been  before  Appointed; 
that  each  Gentleman  may  discharge  the  office  in  his 
turn,  after  which  there  shall  be  a  Constant  and  reg- 
ular Succession  as  the\-  were  at  first  Appointed. 

5th:  No  Member  if  he  bee  in  Town  and  in  Health  shall 
be  absent  from  the  Assembly  on  the  penalty  of  three 
Pounds  To  be  paid  to  the  Steward  who  shall  be 
Accomptable. 

6th:  If  any  member  shall  upon  his  Word  of  Honour  de- 
clare that  to  his  certain  knowledge  any  Absent 
Member  was  in  Other  Company-  of  an  Assembh- 
Evening,  So  as  to  Neglect  coming  (unless  upon 
some  Spesciall  Occasion,  his  being" with  Strangers 
not  to  be  Allowed  a  Sufficient  Excuse.  )  Such  Ab- 
sent Member  shall  then  not  be  excused  his  Fine,  Or 
if  he  is  tardy,  he  shall  be  fined  at  the  discretion  of 
the  Steward,  Who  shall  give  him  Notice  of  it. 

7th:  That  the  Steward  shall  be  particularly  careful  that 
the  expence  of  one  Night  do  not  exceed  the  mone\- 
Subscribed,  Which  if  he  do  shall  be  at  his  own  loss, 
but  if  the  expence  do  not  ballance  the  Subscription 
he  shall  be  Accomptable  To  his  Successor  for  the 
Money  not  Expended. 

8th:  At  such  times  as  the  Fines  and  ad\-anced  Money 
shall  be  sufficient  for  defra)ing  the  Expences  of  the 
next  Evening  {  Exclusixe  of  the  Advanced  Subscrip- 
tion )  the  Members  shall  be  Excused  from  paying 
an\-  thing. 


^8  RHODE  ISLAND   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

9th:  The  Steward  shall  provide  a  proper  Person  to  deal 
out  the  Tea,  Coffee,  Wine  etc:  Prepared  for  the 
Accommodation  of  the  Company. 
10th:  Any  member  Gentleman  or  Lady  shall  be  at  liberty 
to  introduce  any  Stranger  whom  they  shall  Judge 
proper  and  Agreable  To  the  Company. 
11th:  Every  member  at  the  time  of  Subscribing  shall  be 
presented  with  a  list  of  Such  Ladies,  as  are  to  have 
a  general  Invitation  To  each  of  whom  will  be  given 
a  Ticket  for  their  Constant  Admittance. 
12th:  The  Assembly  shall  begin  at  Six  in  the  Evening  and 
break  up  at  Twelve,  and  no  Member  shall  take  its 
amiss  of  the   Master  of  the  Ceremonies  when  he 
insists  upt)n  it. 
13th-  No  new  member  to  be  Admited  but  such  as  shall  be 
approved  off  by  the   Majority-   of  the   Subscribers 
Present  at  the  Assembly  when  he  shall  be  proposed, 
(the  Steward  to  ha\-e  the  Casting  \'ote. ) 
14th:  For  the  sake  of  keeping  up  the  decorum  and  Regu- 
larity of  this  Assembly,  if  any  member  uses  or  takes 
any  Indecent  Liberty  or  Familiarity  with  any  of  the 
Ladies,  Such  Member  shall  pay  Five  Pounds  for 
the  hrst  Offence,  and  for  the  Second  shall  be,  by  the 
Steward  Publicly  Expelled  the  Assembly. 
15th:  If  any  Married  Gentleman  has  an   Inclination  of 
'  coming    to    the    Assembly    with    his    Lady,    Such 
Gentleman   shall   be   Admitted    (but    not    to    Sub- 
scribe )  upon  the  same  footing  as  any  of  the  others 
members,  i.  e.  ( Paying  an  Equal  Proportion  of  the 
Expence  of  the  Evening. )  •■'       - 

16th- With  respect  to  Dancing  of  Minuets,  the  Gentle- 
men shall  dance  with  such  Ladies  As  the  Master  of 
the  Ceremonies  shall  Appoint  And  of  Sett  or  Cun- 
trey  dances,  the  usual  Method  of  drawing  numbers 
Shall  be  Observed  (the  first  Numbers  to  have  the 


DANCE    RK(;i'I.Ari()\S    OF    1747  cq 

Precedeiic\-)  with  this  priviJedge  to  the  master  of 
the  Ceremonies  that  he  shall  always  chuse  his  own 
Partner  and  open  the  Ball. 

Appended  to  these  rules  of  1747  is  a  list  of  the  ladies 
who  were  invited  to  attend  the  Assemblies  in  accordance 
wqth  rule  No.  1  1 .  Merely  the  initial  and  surname  of  each 
lady  is  given,  but  in  most  cases,  it  is  possible  to  identify  the 
lady  froni  this  brief  record.' 

A  list  of  the  Ladies: 

Miss.  S.  Ayrault  I.  Hatch 

I.  Ayrault  E.  Harwood 

R-  Allen  I.  Harwood 

Miss.  P.  Brenton  A.  Haszard 

E.  Brenton  P.  Haszard 

F.  Brenton                      Miss.  A.  Mallbone 
M.  Brown  M.  Mallbone 
E-  Brown  M.  Mum  ford 

Miss.  E.  Cole  E.  Mumford 

A.  Cole  Miss.  E.  Phillips 

Miss   C.  Coddington  Miss.  R.  Scott 

J.  Coddington  Miss.        Thurston 

C.  Coddington  Miss.  M.  Updike 

Miss.  E.  Cranston  Miss.  H.  Ward 
Miss.  E.  Freebod\-  M.  Ward 

Miss.  E.  Hatch     '  R.  Wanton 

The  list  of  gentlemen  wht)  ga\e  the  ciances: 

Godfrey  Malbone  Lod.  l/pdike 

John  Cole  Wm.  \'enion 

Edward  Cole  Philip  Wilkinson 

Joseph  Whipple  Jerh.  Brcnvn 

Jonathan  Thurston  Samuel  Freebodv 

George  Gardner  Joseph  Philips 
Robert  Stoddard 


'An  extensive  account  of  these  papers  was  printed  in  the  Pioz''uien(\ 
Sufiilay  J our>hi!  ior  Ocuhcv  22,   1929. 


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RHODK  ISLAM)  HIS'IORICAL  SOCIETY 

treasl'ri:r's  Ri:poRr 

LXCOMi:   ACCOUNT   FOR   YEAR    1929 


Receipts 

Annual    Dues   $2,320.00 

Di\idcnds   and    Interest  5,344.27 

Rental  of   Rooms 1  87.00 

State   Appropriation   1,500.00 


$9,351.27 


Expenditures 

Binding    $     187.75 

Books   693.41 

Electric  Light  and  Gas  39.88 

Exhibitions    99.9 1 

Expenses    136.77 

Grounds  and  Building 391.30 

Heating    700.00 

Newspaper  Account   10  5.05 

Publication  889. 5 8 

Salaries  5,210.00 

Supplies    308.62 

Telephone    70.30 

Water    8.00 

Lisu ranee 22  5.00 


$9,065.57 
Surplus   Licome  Account  28  5.70 

$9,351.27 


61 


STATEMENT  OE  CONDITION,  DECEMBER   31,    1929 

Assets 

Grounds  and  Building $    2  5,000.00 

Investments: 

Bonds 

$5,000    New  York  Edison  Co.,  6>4s,  1941 $5,447.85 

4,000    Cedars  Rapids  Mfg.  &  Power  Co.,   5s 

195  3    3,228.88 

3,000    Centra]  Mfg.  District 3,000.00 

3,000    Cleveland  Elec.  Illuminating  Co.,  5s, 

1939    2,565.42 

1,000   Commonwealth  Edison  Co.,  5s,  1943       965.25 
4,000   Government  of  Dominion  of  Canada, 

5s,  1952  4,003.91 

1,000   Western  Electric  Co.,   5s,    1944 998.17 

300    United  Electric  Rys.  Co.,  Prior  Lien, 

4s,  1946  ' 231.27 

4,000    61   Broadwav  Bldg.,  1st  Mtge.,  5>4s, 

1950    .'. 4,000.00 

4,000    Minnesota    Power   &   Light    Co.,    1st 

5s,  195  5  3,930.00 

4,000    Monongahela    \'allev    Traction    Co., 

lst^5s,    1942    ,' 3,685.00 

2,000   Ohio  Power  Co.,  1st  &  Ref.  5s,  1952    1,974.00 

2,000   Narragansett  Co.,  5s,  1957 1,980.00 

2,000   Shell     Union     Oil     Corporation,     5s, 

1947    1,979.00 

2,000    Koppers  Gas  &  Coke   Co.,    5s,    1947    1,962.50 
1,000    Indianapolis  Power  &  Light,    1st   5s, 

195  7    994.50 

Stocks 

50   shs.   New  York  Central  Railroad  Co. $3,355.22 

111    shs.   Pennsylvania   Railroad   Co. 6,934.97 

30   shs.   Lehigh  Valley  Railroad  Co 2,112.50 

7   shs.   Lehigh  Valley  Coal  Sales  Co 235.39 

40   shs.   Milwaukee  Elec.   Rv.  &   Light  Co., 

Pfd ' 3,900.00 

64   shs.   American   Tel.   &   Tel.    Co 7,046.23 

300   shs.   Providence   Gas  Co 5,005.68 

15   shs.   Providence   National   Bank  }        i^nn  nn 

30   shs.   Merchants'   National   Bank    Bldg.    (      '        ' 

45    shs.   Blackstone    Canal   National    Bank 1,050.00 

52   shs.   Atchison,   Topeka   &   Santa    Ee    Ry. 

Co.,   Com 6,247.8  5 


■8,633.59 
Cash  on  hand  4,487.77 

62  $108,121.36 


TREASURER  S  REPORT 


63 


Liabilities 

Equipment   Fund   ^    2  5,OOO.Oa 

Permanent  Endowment  Fund: 

Samuel   M.    Noyes ;f  12, DIM). (10 

Henry  J.  Stecre 10, (100. (10 

James   H.    Bugbee 6,000.00 

Charles   H.   Smith 5,000.00 

Charles   W.   Parsons 4,000.00 

William  H.  Potter 3,000.00 

Esek   A.    Jillson 2,\)00.00 

John  Wilson  Smith 1,000.00 

William   G.   Weld 1,000.00 


Charles  C.    Hoskins  ]  (joo  qq 


Charles  H.  Atwood 


,000.00 


Publication  Fund: 

Robert  P.  Brown $      2,000.00 


46,000.00 


Ira    B.    Peck 


!,000.00 


William  Gammcll  1,000  00 

Albert  J.   Jones l,'oOO.OO 

^^^^^^m  Ely  ,  ,0(10.00 

Julia   Bullock   500.00 

Charles   H.   Smith 100  00 


^             T     .,      ,                                                      — ' 6,600. 00> 

George  L.  Shepley  Fund 5,000.00 

Life    Membership     5^50  00- 

Franklin  Lyceum  Memorial  Fund '734  57 

Book  Fund  ^  0  1  ">  4- 1 

Reserve    Fund    ; '  ,  ]oU.27 

Revolving    Publication    Fund  '5  8  5  6^ 

^"■"Pj"^  ; irZIZZ  12,470'7i' 

Surplus   hicome   Account ^3^3  83 

$108,121.36- 


64  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

PRINCIPAL  ACCOUNT  FOR  THE  YEAR  1929 


Receipis 

Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Ry.,  rights $  120.90 

Pcnns\l\"ania    Railroad,    rights 5  1 .06 

American  Telephone  &  Telegraph  Co.,  rights 243.20 

Lehigh  \'allcy  Coal  Sales  Co.,  rights 6.46 

Life  Membership  50.00 

Reserve    Fund    83.25 

Revolving    Publication    Fund   39  5.00 

$     949.87 
Balance  January  1,    1929     2,924.07 

$3,873.94 
Payments 

Lidianapolis  Power  &  Light,   1st,   5s,    1957 $     994.50 

Reserve  Fund  4.50 

Revolving    Publication    Fund 71  1.00 

Balance  December   31,   1929  2,163.94 


$3,873.94 


Respectfully  submitted, 

G.  A.  Harrinc;ton,  Treasurer. 


Rhode    Island 

Historical  Society 
Collections 


Vol.  XXIII 


JULY,  1930 


:^ 


^/^7  jf-' 


''r^^y../ 


No.  3 


rUl'.    \K\\     KN(.1.\\1)     l-l,A(,    ()!■     16SC) 

From  original  painting  in  Lieutenant  Graydon's  manuscript  ilag  book 
in  the  Pepvsian  Library,  Magdalene  College,  Cambridge. 

By  ifer'hil  femthiioii  .  ^ff  Pd^e  90 

Issued  (JuarrcrK' 


M  Waikrman  Sii<}  I  I,  Pr(>\ii)1  \(i  ,  Ruoni;  Isi.xxn 


CONIENTS 


The  Identification  of  Ship  Models 
by  Clarkson  A.  Collins,  Jr.    . 

The  Ancestry  of  John  Greene  of  Warwick 
by  G.  Andrews  Moriarty,  Jr. 

Theophilus  Whaley 

by  G.  Andrews  Moriarty,  Jr. 


The  Grammar  School  in  Brown  Univer 
by  Robert  Francis  Seybolt    . 


sity 


Portrait  of  James  Fenner    . 

Portrait  of  Mrs.  Fenner 

The  Shipping  Book  of  Arthur  Fenner  &  Co.   . 

Notes 

List  of  Members  of  the  Rhode  Island  Historical 
Society        ....... 


The  New  England  Flag 

by  Howard  M.  Chapin 

Bequest  of  F.mily  J.  Anthony 


PAGE 


65 


70 

72 

73 
74 
75 
76 
80 

83 


Cover  and  90 
100 


RHODE 
HISTORICAL 


ISLAND 

SOCIETY 


COLLECTIONS 


VOL.  XXIII 


July,  1930 


No.  3 


Addison  P.  Munroe,  President     Gh.bkrt  A.  Harrington,  Treasurer 
Howard  W.  Preston,  Secretary  Howard  M.  Chapin,  Librarian 


The  Society  assumes  no  responsibility  for  the  statements  or  the  opinions 
of  contributors. 


The  Identification  of  Ship  Models 

Clarkson  a.  Collins,  Jr. 

The  identification  of  sailor-made  ship  models  often  pre- 
sents problems  which  are  interesting  to  investigate  but, 
alas,  sometimes  difficult  of  solution.  This  is  due  to  the 
habit  which  such  makers  had  of  frequently  giving  a  model 
a  name  other  than  that  of  the  vessel  which  it  actually 
represented. 

Negative  evidence  regarding  such  models  can  usually  be 
obtained  with  a  slight  amount  of  research.  That  is,  it  is 
easy  to  demonstrate  the  fact  that  the  model  does  not  rep- 
resent such  a  vessel  as  the  name  on  its  stern  would  seem 
to  indicate.  Positive  evidence,  however,  proving  that  the 
model  depicts  a  certain  vessel  is  frequently  difficult,  and 
often  impossible,  to  obtain. 

A  case  in  point  is  that  of  a  beautiful  niodel  of  the 
famous  clipper  ship  Hornet  which  I  obtained  on  the  Cape 
some  years  ago.  The  maker  of  the  model,  a  Capt.  Doane, 
had  been  first  mate  of  the  Hornet  and  was  li\ing  at  the 


65 


66  RHODE  ISLAND   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

time  I  first  saw  the  model,  aIthoue;h  nearly  ninety  veai-s 
old. 

I  asked  him  why,  since  the  model  was  of  the  Hornet, 
she  bore  on  her  stern  the  name  "Bonna  Dea."  His  reply 
was  that  his  two  nieces  were  greatly  interested  in  a  beauti- 
ful Egyptian  Goddess  and  asked  him  to  name  the  model 
after  her.  The  name  of  the  Egyptian  Goddess  was  "Bonna 
Dea." 

It  is  obvious  that  in  this  case,  lacking  personal  contact 
with  Capt.  Doa:ne,  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  iden- 
tify the  model. 

Another  instance  is  found  in  the  model  of  the  Ann  and 
Hope.  This  model  for  a  century  or  more  was  berthed  in 
the  old  Brown  and  Ives  building  at  50  South  Main  Street. 

Fairly  authentic  tradition  placed  the  model  as  the  Ann 
and  Hope — the  first  vessel  of  that  name,  not  the  second. 
Tonnage,  rig,  number  of  guns,  figurehead  j  all  made  the 
identification  practically  positive.  But  on  her  stern  the 
model  bears  the  inscription,  Embargo  of  Providence.  I 
was  not  satisfied  regarding  the  identity  of  the  model  until 
exhaustive  research  among  Historical  Societv  records 
established  the  fact  that  no  vessel  named  Embargo  was 
ever  registered  from  the  Port  of  Providence. 

Conjecture  regarding  the  naming  of  this  model  dis- 
covers an  explanation.  The  Ann  and  Hope  was  wrecked 
on  Block  Island  not  long  before  the  Embargo  Act  went 
into  effect.  This  act  undoubtedly  gave  the  sailor  who 
made  the  model  ample  opportunity  for  his  work,  and  in  a 
spirit  of  irony  he  christened  her  "Embargo." 

Our  museums,  at  least  such  of  them  as  boast  niarine 
collections,  are  so  apt  to  be  inaccurate  in  the  descriptions 
of  their  models  that  it  is  not  surprising  to  find  that  in  years 
gone  by  the  Historical  Society  accepted  too  confidently  the 
name  on  the  fine  old  "74"  which  stands  in  the  gallery,  and 
labeled  her  "The  Frigate  Washington." 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  she  is  not  a  frigate  but  a  seventy- 
four  gun  ship  of  the  line.    Furthermore,  there  has  never 


o    a: 
z    w 


68  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

been  a  vessel  in  the  U.  S.  Navy,  nor  an  American  priva- 
teer, which  this  model  could  represent,  if  we  consider  the 
name  on  her  stern. 

It  is  true  that  there  have  been  eleven  Washingtons, 
seven  General  Washingtons,  and  six  Lady  Washingtons 
flying  the  American  flag;  all  of  them  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary period. 

The  largest  of  them,  however,  was  the  32  gun  ship 
Washington  which  was  purchased  in  Philadelphia  in  1776, 
never  received  her  armament,  and  was  burnt  by  the  British 
in  Delaware  Bay  in  1778.  The  others  were  all  smaller 
vessels.  Some  were  ship  rigged  but  the  majority  were 
brigs,  cutters,  or  sloops. 

There  was  a  privateer.  General  Washington,  of  Provi- 
dence, ship  rigged,  carrying  18  guns  and  120  men,  and 
commanded  by  Silas  Talbot.  In  the  case  of  this  vessel  I 
should  say  that  if  the  armament  of  the  model  agreed  with 
that  of  the  ship  itself,  the  difi^erence  between  the  names 
would  not  be  of  great  importance.  But  the  difference 
between  18  guns  and  74  cannot  be  reconciled. 

The  probabilities  are  that  the  Historical  Society  model 
represents  one  of  the  ten  "74's'-  laid  down  between  1815 
and  1818.  Only  six  of  these  vessels  were  completed. 
These  were  the  Franklin,  Columbus,  Ohio,  North  Caro- 
lina, Delaware,  and  \'ermont. 

Aside  from  our  one  famous,  or  rather  infamous,  120 
gun  ship,  the  Vermont  is  as  perfect  an  example  as  one 
could  hnd  of  what  happens  when  politicians  begin  to  play 
with  the  Navy.  This  vessel,  laid  down  in  1815,  was  not 
launched  until  1848;  thirty-three  years  to  complete  a  ship 
which  should  have  been  off  the  ways  in  two  years  at  the 
most.  During  this  period  she  was,  of  course,  giving 
employment,  when  needed,  to  loyal  supporters  of  this, 
that,  and  the  other  political  party.  What  an  ignoble  fate 
for  one  of  the  most  noble  creations  of  man!  Let  us  hope 
that  the  Historical  Society  model  does  not  perpetuate  the 
poor  Vermont. 


THE    IDKNTrFICATKlX    OF    SHIP    MODKLS 


69 


MODEL    OF    SO-CAI.I,KO    "WASHINGI'ON ' 


In  the  Society's  Museum. 


70 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


MODEL    OF    SO-CALLED       WASHINGTON 

In   tlu  Society's  Museut. 


Ancestry  of  John  Greene  of  Warwick 


In  the  "Greenes  of  Rhode  Island"  compiled  by  Mrs. 
Louise  Brownell  Clarke  from  the  manuscripts  of  Major- 
General  George  S.  Greene,  a  pedigree  is  given  that  com- 
mences with  a  certain  Robert  Greene  who  appears  as  of 
Gillingham,  in  the  county  of  Dorset,  in  the  subsidy  of 
1543;  and  it  is  stated  on  page  38  that  Robert  Greene 
owned  and  resided  on  his  estate  at  Bowridge  Hill  in  the 
parish  of  Gillingham.    This  statenient  has  no  record  of 


ANCE'^IRV  OF   JOHN    (.REKNH   OF   WARWICK  71 

evidence  to  support  it,  other  than  the  mere  fact  that  Robert 
Greene  was  taxed  in  the  subsidy  of  (jiUingham.  On  page 
736  of  the  same  \'o]ume  under  a  heading  entitled  "Latest 
Research  in  England"  the  compiler  of  the  bot)k;  states  that 
she  doubts  whether  Peter  Greene  of  Bowricige,  the  testa- 
tor of  1583,  anci  the  kni)wn  brother  of  Richard  Greene, 
the  ancestor  of  the  Rhode  Island  famih',  was  the  son  of 
Robert  Greene. 

Examination  of  the  parish  register  of  Gillingham  ( it  is 
a  \'ery  large  parish )  shows  that  the  name  Greene  in  the 
sixteenth  and  earh^  seventeenth  century  was  very  widely 
spread  in  the  parish  and  there  are  a  great  many  Greenes 
whose  relationship  with  each  other  cannot  be  proved. 
Several  \ears  ago  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  secure  copies 
of  the  Gillingham  Court  Rolls  preserved  in  the  R\lands 
Library  at  Manchester,  which  contain  many  entries  relat- 
ing to  the  Greenes  of  that  parish.  The  earliest  mention 
being  a  "J.  Greene"  in  the  reign  of  Edward  the  Fourth. 
The  most  important  item  in  these  records  is  one  relating 
to  jurymen  and  shows  that  on  the  twentieth  of  December 
in  the  twent\-hfth  year  of  Henry  the  Eighth  (  1533-4), 
"Willemus  Grene  de  P(nvr\gge"  was  a  juryman.  "Pow- 
rygge"  is  evidently  Bowridge,  the  estate  which  is  known. 
to  have  belonged  to  that  particular  branch  of  the  Gilling- 
ham Greenes  froni  whom  the  Rhode  Island  family 
descended.  It  seems,  therefore,  highly  likely  that  Peter 
Greene,  the  testator  of  1583,  and  his  brother  Richard 
Greene,  who  was  the  grandfather  of  John  Greene  of 
Providence,  were  the  children  not  of  Robert  Greene  of  the 
1543  subsidy  but  of  the  abov^e  Williani  Greene,  for  we 
hnd  them  owning  and  residing  at  Bowridge  Hill  where 
William  Greene  was  living  in  1533-4.  It  would  appear, 
therefore,  that  the  line  of  descent  of  the  Rhode  Island 
family  is  not  Robert,'"  Richard,'"'  Richard,'"  John,'^' 
but  William,'"  Richard,'"'  Richard,'  '  John.'" 

G.  Andrews  Moriartv,  Jr. 


72  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Theophiliis  Whalev 

By  referring  to  Austin's  "Genealogical  Dictionary  of 
Rhode  Island,"  it  will  be  seen  that  a  somewhat  mysterious 
person  named  Theophilus  Whaley  came  to  the  South 
County  from  Virginia  and  there  has  been  much  specula- 
tion regarding  him.  Today  in  going  over  the  records  of 
the  county  of  Rappahannock,  (extinct  since  1692  when  it 
became  Essex  Co.)  I  found: 

Transcript  of  Rappahannock  records  in  Virginia  State 
Archives. 

Vol  VI  (81)  Thomas  Gouldman  of  Settingburne  parish 
in  Rapp.  Co.  gent,  and  Richard  Cawthorne  of  same, 
planter,  and  Theophilus  Whale  and  Daniel  Swellivant 
both  of  Farnham  parish,  Rapp.  Co.  division  of  a  tract 
owned  by  them  and  grant  of  5()()  acres  from  it  to  Caw- 
thorne. 20  Aug.  1679. 

Vol.  VI  (  92  )  Thomas  Ciouldman  of  Sittingburne  par- 
ish, Rapp.  Co.  to  Theophilus  Whale  of  Farnham,  planter, 
400  acres  at  Hodgkins  Creek  out  of  674  acres  that  they 
owned  there.   7  Jan  1679   80. 

Theophilus  Whale  conveys  this  right  to  William  Seale. 
8  Jan  1679   80. 

Vol  VI  (103)  Indenture  18  Feb  1679/80  Theophilus 
Whale  of  Rapp.  Co.  planter,  and  Robert  Beverley  of 
Middlesex,  gent.  Whale  conveys  all  his  lands  in  Rapp. 
Co.  Va.  including  the  land  where  he  now  lives  "or  lately 
lived"  to  Beverley  and  made  his  loving  friend  Mr. 
Thomas  George  of  Rapp.  Co.  his  attorney  to  acknowledge 
and  confirm  the  same  18  Feb.  1679/80.  Signed  Theophi- 
lus Wealle. 

This  last  looks  like  a  "selling  out"  before  he  went  to 
Rhode  Island.  I  send  you  this  as  it  locates  Whalley  in 
Virginia  before  he  came  to  Rhode  Island  and  shows  he  was 
not  a  "mysterious  stranger,"  but  a  well  known  planter  of 
Rappahannock  County. 

G.  Andrews  Moriarty,  Jr. 


The  Grammar  School  at  Brown  University 

in  1772 

Cotitributed  by  Robert  Francis  Sevboi.t 

The  following  announcement,  published  in  the  Massa- 
chusetts Gazette  and  Boston  Ne'xs  Letter^  July  30,  1772, 
recalls  an  important,  but  little  known  adjunct  of  Brown 
during  the  early  years  of  her  histor)': 

Whereas  several  Gentlemen  have  requested  me  to  take  and  educate 
their  Sons:  This  may  inform  them,  as  others  disposed  to  put  their  Chil- 
dren under  my  Care,  that  the  Latin  School  is  now  removed,  and  set  up 
in  the  College  Edifice;  where  proper  Attendance  shall  be  given,  by  a 
Master  duly  qualified,  and  those  found  to  be  the  most  effectual  Meth- 
ods to  obtain  a  competent  Knowledge  of  Grammar,  steadily  pursued. 
At  the  same  Time  spelling,  reading,  and  speaking  English  with  Propri- 
ety will  be  particularly  attended  to.  Any  who  choose  their  Sons  should 
board  in  Commons,  may  be  accomodated  at  the  same  Rate  with  the 
Students,  Six  Shillings  per  Week  being  the  Price.  And  I  Hatter  m\self, 
that  such  Attention  will  be  paid  their  Learning  and  Morals,  as  will 
entirelv  satisf\-  all  who  may  send  their  Children.  All  Books  for  the 
School,  as  well  as  the  classical  Authors  read  in  College,  may  be  had  at 
the  lowest  Rate  of  the  Subscriber. 

Providence,  July   10,   1772.  James  Manning. 

In  establishing  a  grammar  school  at  the  college.  President 
Manning  followed  the  practice  of  his  Alma  Mater, 
Princeton. 


73 


74 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


PORTRAIT   OF    GOVERNOR    JAMES   FENNER,    FIRST    PRESIDENT    OF   THE    RHODE 
ISLAND    HISTORICAI,   SOCIETY,    PAINTED    BY   FRANCIS   ALEXANDER 

Given  to  the  Society  by  Mr.  Henry  D.  Sharpe. 


THE   SIflPPlNC.    HOOK   OF    ARIIILR    FKNNER   &    CO. 


75 


PORTRAIT  OF  MRS.  JAMES   FENNKR,    PAINTED   BV    FRANCIS   AI.EXANOER 

Giz-t>!  to  the  Suc/!-/y  h\  Mr.  H.iiry  D.  Sliarpe 


76  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

The  Shipping  Book  of 
Arthur  Fenner  &  Company..  1742 

The  shipping  book  of  Arthur  Premier  and  Company  of 
Providence  was  recently  given  to  the  Society  by  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Ladd  McConnell.  It  throws  light  on  the  early 
maritime  commerce  of  Providence  during  a  period  in 
which  the  source  material  is  scanty.  An  abstract  of  these 
records  follows. 

ABSTRACTS 

Arthur  Fenner  and  George  Browne  Esqr.  &  Company 
and  all  of  Providence  in  New  England.  Shipped  on  Ship 
Providence,  Captain  Jonathan  Sheldon,  Master,  bound 
for  Suraname. 

thirty  Nine  Horses,  Eighty  firkins  of  Butter,  Sixty  Six 
Barrels  of  flower,  four  hundred  and  Sixteen  Bushels  of 
Oats,  Eighteen  Shorts,  fourteen  thousand  two  hundred 
and  fifty  Shingles,  4m  Staves,  Six  Barrels  Potatoes,  Six 
Barrels  of  Apples,  3900  Hoops;  84  Water  Hhds,  4  Bar- 
rels Pork,  28  Barrels  of  Beef,  10  m  of  Bricks;  800  .  .  of 
Bread;  8500  feet  of  Boards,  8  hhds.  Salt  fish,  4  Barrel 
Alewives,  1  ^^  Barrel  Mackrel,  1  Firkin  of  Hogsfat  and 
one  hhd  of  Corne.  Dated  in  Providence  aforesaid  this 
19th  Day  of  October  A:D:  1745. 

Arthur  Fenner  and  Company.  Shipped  on  Ship  Arthur, 
Ebenezer  Hill,  Master,  bound  for  Jamaica. 

1  8  hhd.  of  Dry  fish.  Seven  barrels  of  pork,  forty  Seven 
bbrs  of  beef,  thirty  bbrs  of  flower,  four  bbrs  of  Pickel  fish. 
Six  Cagg  of  tonngs,  2  firkin  of  hogs  fatt.  Seven  bbrs  of 
sider,  450  bunches  of  onions,  1034  weight  of  Chees.  Con- 
signed to  James  Mitchell.  Dated  in  Providence  this  28th 
Dav  of  Deer  Ad  1  747. 


THE  SHIPPING   BOOK   OF  ARTHUR    FF.NNKR  &   CO.  77 

Arthur  Feniicr  and  Company.  Shipped  on  Ship  Prince 
William,  Jonathan  Sheldon,  Master, bound  for  Barbadoes. 

29  hhd  Dry  hsh,  50  bbrs  of  Mackrell,  59  bbrs  of  Beef, 
9  bbrs  of  Pt)rk;,  10  bbrs  of  flower,  5  bbrs  firkin  of  Tallow, 
4  bbrs  of  oyle,  32  thousand  of  Lumber,  19  Horses,  11 
hogs,  9  Cask  of  Bread,  thirty  four  hhd  of  Tobacco,  44  new 
water  hhcis,  three  HHd  of  Indian  Corn,  199  bushel!  of 
oats. 
Dated  in  Pro\-idence  Decbr  1  0th  A  D  I  748 

Arthur  Fenner  and  Conipany.    Shipped  on  Snoe  Dolphin, 
Thomas  Manchester,  Master,  bound  for  Jamaica, 
fourteen  Horses 

Arthur  Fenner  and  Company.  Shipped  on  Ship  Arthur, 
Joseph  Cozzens,  Master,  bound  for  Jamacia. 

Thirteen  Horses,  20  hhds  of  Dry  fish,  40  brs  of  Mackrell, 
37  bbrs.  of  Beef,  7  bbrs  of  pork,  Six  firkins  of  butter,  8  bbrs 
of  Sider,  1 1  Desks,  one  book  Cases,  5500  of  hoops,  3100 
Staves,  1239  foot  of  bords  and  Ninety  one  New  hogs- 
heads. 
Dated  in  Providence  Decbr  27th  1748. 

Arthur  Fenner  and  Company.  Shipped  on  Sloop  Defi- 
ence.  Captain  Simeon  Flunt,  Master,  bound  for  Boston. 
4 — hogsheads  and  five  Tierces  of  Sugar. 

Arthur  Fenner  and  Company  merchants  in  providence. 
Shipped  on  Brigg  Prince  Williani,  Captain  George  Jack- 
son, Master,  bound  for  Surrinam. 

25238  Feet  of  Boards  4900  of  Hoops  5600^4  of  Staves 
13600  Shingles  12000  Bricks,  80  Barrells  of  Flower,  55 
Barrells  of  Beefe,  6  Barrells  Pork,  1000  of  Bread,  }6 
hogsheads  and  one  Tierce  Tobacko,  6  hogsheads  Dry  Fish, 
8  barll  oyle,  8  firkins  Butter,  i  hhd  Rum,  800  Bunches 
onyons  115  Bushll  Corn,  50  Bushll  oats,  27  Horses,  31 
Sheep,  9  Shoats,  62  w^ater  hogsheads. 
Dated  in  Providence  this  19th  Day  of  august  A  D  1749. 


yS  "         RHODE  ISLAND   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Arthur  Fenner  &c  company  merchts.  Shipped  on  Snoe 
providence,  Captain  George  Jackson,  Master,  bound  for 
Barbados 

20  Thousand  hoops,  14  thousand  Boards,  6  thousand 
Staves,  30  Barrells  Beefe,  4  Barrells  of  Oyle,  Six  Barrells 
of  poark,  20  Barrells  of  Flower,  11400  Bricks,  37  Casks 
of  Tobacco,  21  Shoats,  100  Bushell  of  Corn,  70  Bushell 
of  Oats,  17  horses,  38  water  casks,  20  hogsheads  of  Fish, 
4  Tierces  Bread. 
Dated  in  providence  the  24  Day  of  November  1750 

Arthur  Fenner  &  Companey  merchants.  Shipped  on 
Snoe  Dolphin,  Captain  George  Jackson,  Master,  bound 
for  Surrinam. 

To  4800  Staves/,  350034  of  Hoopes/  11500  Brickes/ 
12259  board.  To  37  Barrels  Flower  to  17  Barrels  beaf 
To  4  Detto  of  Poark  To  9  Horses  To  9c:3q:81 1  of  bread 
To  1 1537  of  Tobacco  to  3  Bushell  Pease  To  101  Bushell 
of  oates  to  30  watter  Cask  To  Hogci  West  India  runi  and 
one  Thousand  Dollars 
Dated  in  Providence  the  22th  Day  of  Apriel  1751 

Arthur  Fenner  and  compa  owners  of  the  Snow  Dolphin. 
Shipped  on  Ship  Dolphin,  Captain  George  Jackson,  Mas- 
ter, bound  for  Barbadoes. 

thirteen  Horses,  1 1506  feet  Boards,  5300  Hoops,  three 
thousand  Nine  Hundred  and  ^S  of  Staves,  1  Barrel  1  Tal- 
low, 3  bbs.  Turpentine,  1  bb.  Tarr,  25  half  Barrells  Pork, 
28  bbs.  beeff  5  bbs  pork  32  water  Casks  8  Casks  bread, 
140  Bushells  Oats,  2  Casks  peas— 1  Barrell  Oyl 

Dated  in  providence  April  13th  1752. 

Arthur  Fenner  Esqr  and  Company  all  of  Providence  in 
the  County  of  Providence  in  New  England  Merchants — 
Shipped  on  Ship  Arthur,  Joseph  Arnold,  Master,  bound 
for  Barbadoes. 

Thirty  Eight  Thousand  Eight  hundred  and  Twenty 
Hoops,  Four  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty  of  Hogs- 


THE   SHIPPING    BOOK   OF   ARIHUR    FENNER   &    CO.  79 

head  Staves,  Ele\'en  thousand  Bricks,  Eleven  Water 
Hogsheads,  one  Desk,  Nine  hundred  feet  of  Pine  Boards, 
Eighteen  Barrels  of  Beef,  four  Barrel  1  of  Pork  and  Ten 
Barrels  of  P'lowers. 

Consigned  to  Mr.  James  Fenner  of  Proxidence  Merchant. 
Dated  in  Providence  this  hfth  Day  of  February  Anno 
Dom  17+9/ 

Arthur  Fenner  anci  Company  Shipped  on  Ship  Dolphin, 
Thomas  Manchester,  Master,  bound  for  Surrinam. 

8  m  9()()^>  Brickes  10  m  640  feet  Boards  5  m  150 
Staves  4  m  780  Hoops  2  feet  of  heading  24  Barll  Flower 
51  Brll  Beaf  24  Mogsh  Tobacco,  9  Tearces  Do  65  Firkins 
butter  2  hhds  rum  1  Firkin  Tallow  1  Box  Candles  1  Brll 
Peas  8  Barll  Bread  13  Boxes  of  pama  sitty*  Candles 
yj  Barll  rum  2  Barll  pork  14  Horses  194  Bushell  oats, 
one  Thousanci  shingles  1500  roope  onyons  36  water  hhcis. 
Dated  in  Providence  September  3d  1753 

Mr.  Arthur  Fenner  &  Company.  Shipped  on  Brigan- 
tine  Providence,  Captain  William  Tillinghast,  Master, 
bound  for  Surriname 

48  hhs  three  Teares  and  1  bbs  of  tobacco  64  firkins  of 
butter  60  bbs  of  flower  2 1  bbs  of  Pickled  fish  2 1  bbs  of 
Salt  12  bbs  &  half  beef  2  bbrs  of  Pork  5  boxes  of  Candels 
1  Bbs  of  Mackrells  1  7307  Shingles  5144  hhd  Staves  3840 
Hoops  11  bbs  of  bread  and  thirty  four  horses  j  and  goes 
consignd  seven  eight  parts  to  y  sd  Master  and  other  eight 
part  to  Thomas  Fenner  a  Passenger  on  bcxird  said  brigan- 
tine 

Dated  in  Providence  in  New  England  this  27th  Day 
of  July  A  D  1743 

Messrs:  Arthur  Fenner,  Joseph  Sheldon,  Charles  Til- 
linghast &  William  Tillinghast  of  Providence  in  New 
England.  Shipped  on  Ship  Providence,  Captain  William 
Tillinghast,  Master,  bound  for  Barbacioes, 

*Spcrmaccti. 


8o  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Nineteen  Horses;  7406  Hhd  Hoops;  17930  Hhd 
Staves;  1355  Shingles;  thirty  one  Quintals  of  Salt  fish; 
1  8  Barrells  of  Alewives  two  Barrells  of  Tallow,  and  three 
Shoates. 

Twenty  Seven  Caggs  of  oyster 

Dated  in  Providence  in  New  England  this  8th  Day  of 
January  Anno  Domini  1  742/3. 

Arthur  Fenner  &  Company.  Shipped  on  Snow  Dolphin, 
Captain  Joseph  Owens,  Master,  bound  for  Antigua. 

Thirty  Eight  Barrels  Mackrel  Nine  Casks  Rice  Eleven 
Bar  Beef  Two  Barrels  Poork  Seven  Thousand  Seven  hun- 
dred Shingles  Four  Thousand  three  hundred  &  Fortv  one 
Staves  Eight  Boxes  Spermicity  Candles  Forty  one  Thou- 
sand nine  hundred  &  forty  hoops 
Dated  in  Providence  May  8,  1756. 

The  eleven  desks  and  1  book  case  mentioned  in  1 748 
and  the  one  desk  in  1  749  are  unusual  exports  from  Rhode 
Island.  Were  these  desks  by  any  chance  some  of  the 
famous  block  front  desks  made  by  Goddard*  at  Newport? 


Notes 

Three  new  biographies  of  Anne  Hutchinson  have  been 
published  this  year.  One  was  mentioned  in  our  last  issue. 
The  others  are  An  Ameyican  Je2:ehel,  The  Life  of  Anne 
Hutchinson  by  Helen  Augur,  a  book  of  320  pages  pub- 
lished by  Brentano;  and  Anne  Hutchinson  by  Edith  Cur- 
tis, 122  pages,  published  by  Washburn  and  Thomas. 

Lettres  d\ixel  de  Fersen,  published  in  Paris  in  1929, 
is  of  considerable  local  interest,  for  fourteen  of  the  let- 
ters, dated  from  Aug.  5,  1780,  to  Aug.  17,  1781,  and 
comprising  50  printed  pages,  were  written  at  Newport, 
R.  I. 


*See  article  on  Goddard  in  The  Antiquarian,  February,  1927. 


NOTES  8 1 

The  Old  Stone  Bcuik  History  of  Rhode  Island  is  a  book 
of  119  pages,  which  is  a  reprint  in  book  form  of  the  series 
of  historical  leaflets  that  have  been  issued  in  connection 
with  the  bank's  radio  talks. 

Mr.  Henry  D,  Sharpe  has  recently  presented  to  the 
Society  four  chairs  that  formerly  belonged  to  Governor 
James  Fenner,  the  first  President  of  the  Society. 

A  copy  of  the  first  issue  of  the  J ircenile  Gazette^  which 
was  published  in  November,  1819,  has  been  given  to  the 
Society  by  Sylvester  M.  Snow. 

The  Coggeshalls  in  America^  a  genealogy  of  the  descend- 
ants of  John  Coggeshall  of  Newport,  by  Charles  Pierce 
Coggeshall  and  Thellwell  Russell  Coggeshall  (Boston 
1 930  )  is  a  book  of  395  pages. 

7"/?^?  Star  of  La  Roc h ell e,  being  the  true  story  of  the 
Life  of  EstJier  Leroy^  wife  of  Gabriel  Bernon^  1 652-17 10, 
by  Elizabeth  Nicholson  White  is  a  book  of  130  pages, 
printed  in  Pro\'idence  in  1930. 

The  following  lectures  have  been  given  before  the 
Society. 

January  1-1-.  The  English  Homes  of  the  New  England 
Settlers  by  Capt.  G.  Andrews  Moriarty,  Jr. 

February  16.  Forty  Years  of  Rhode  Island  Art  by 
Sydney  R.  Burleigh. 

March  9.  Early  American  Music  by  John  B.  Archer, 
assisted  by  Ada  Holding  Miller,  Soprano, 

April  8.  Rhode  Island's  Early  Defenders  by  Brig.  Gen. 
John  J.  Richards. 

Three  special  committees  have  been  appointed  this  year. 
The  Entertainment  Comniittee: 

Mrs.    Edward  E.   Johnson,   Chairman 

Mrs.  Charles  D.  Cook 

Mrs.  Clarkson  A,  Collins,  Jr. 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


The  Committee  on  the  Portrait  Gallery: 
Dana  Rice,  Cha'uirian 
Sydney  R.  Burleigh 
Edwin  A.  Burlingame 

The  Committee  to  consider  preliminary  plans  for  the 
observance  of  the  30()th  anniversary  of  the  Founding  of 
Providence: 


Mrs.  Herbert  G.  Beede 
Chester  W.  Barrows 
Howard  M.  Chapin 
J.  Jerome  Hahn 
John  W.  Haley 
Charles  Warren  Lippitt 

The  following  persons  have  been  admitted  to  member 
ship  in  the  Society: 


Rev.  Lorenzo  C.  McCarthy 
Mrs.  Charles  H.  Merriman 
George  L.  Miner 
Mrs.  Edward  S.  Moulton 
Addison  P.  Munroe 
Arthur  L.  Philbrick 


Mrs.  Gorton  T.  Lippitt 
Mrs.  William  O.  Todd 
Mr.  Walter  F.  Farrcll 
Mrs.  Henry  S.  Lanpher 
Mrs.  Charles  O.  Read 
Mr.  David  C.  Adelman 
Mrs.  C.  Prescott  Knight 
Mr.  George  P.  Newell 
Miss  Ada  Almy 
Mrs.  George  S.  Bullock 
Mrs.  Maurice  K.  Washburn 
Mrs.  William  C.  H.  Brand 
Mrs.  Austen  G.  Fox 
Miss  Hattie  B.  Barns 
Mrs.  Albert  G.  Harkness 
Mr.  Donald  S.  Babcock 
Mrs.  James  F.  Phctteplace 
Miss  Edith  R.  Danielson 
Mr.  Fred  Morton  Dixon,  Jr. 
Mr.  Jonathan  F.  Comstock 
Mrs.  William  L.  Mauran 
Mrs.  Howard  G.  Hull 
Mr.  George  Paul  Slade 
Prof.  Albert  K.  Potter 
Mrs.  Joseph  H.  Regester 


Mr.  Herbert  O.  White 
Mr.  Louis  W.  Downcs 
Mrs.  Livingston  Ham 
Miss  Louise  Richards(jn 
Mrs.  Peter  G.  Gerry 
Mr.  Frederick  \'.  Waterman 
Mrs.  William  F.  Hoy 
Mrs.  Addison  P.  Munroe 
Mrs.  Everard  Appleton 
Miss  Irene  B.  Butler 
Mr.  Elmer  D.  Nickerson 
Mrs.  Frank  Nichols  Phillips 
Mrs.  Stacy  Tolman 
Mrs.  Paul  A.  Merriam 
Mr.  Alden  L.  Littleheld 
Mr.  James  F.  Phetteplace 
Rev.  Lorenzo  C.  McCarthy 
Mr.  Frederick  A.  Paige 
Mrs.  Edward  W.  Blodgett 
Mrs.  Henrv  A.  Whitmarsh 
Mrs.  Edward  S.  Clark 
Miss  Sarah  Dyer  Barnes 
Mrs.  C.  Prescott  Knight,  Jr. 
Mr.  Clarence  E.  Peirce 
E.  D.  Chesebro,  M.D. 


List  of  Active  Members  of  the  Rhode  Island 
Historical  Society. 


Hon.  Joshua  M.  AdJcman 
Mr.  David  C.  Adelman 
Mr.  Frederick  W.  Aldred 
Mr.  Charles  T.  Aldrich 
Mr.  Edward  K.  Aldrich,  jr. 
Miss  Lucv  T.  Aldrich 
Hon.  Richard  S.  Aldrich 
Mr.  Francis  O.  Allen 
Mr.  Frederick  W.  Allen 
Mr.  Howard  \'.  Allen 
Mr.  Philip  Allen 
Mrs.  Frederick  Allien 
Miss  Ada  Almy 
Miss  Anna  L.  Andrews 
Mr.  Waher  F.  Angell 
Mrs.  Everard  Appleton 
Mr.  Arthur  H.  Armington 
Miss  Maude  E.  Armstrong 
Mrs.  Edward  E.  Arnold 
Mr.  Frederick  W.  Arnold 
Mr.  James  H.  Arthur 
Mr.  Albert  Babcock 
Mr.  Donald  S.  Babcock 
Mr.  Albert  A.  Baker 
Mrs.  Charles  K.  Baker 
Mr.  Harvey  A.  Baker 
Mr.  J.  Wil'lard  Baker 
Miss  Mary  H.  Balch 
Mr.  Luther  C.  Baldwin 
Mrs.  Walter  S.  Ball 
Mr.  Frederick  D.  Ballou 
Rev.  Clarence  A.  Barbour 
Harry  Lee  Barnes,  M.D. 
Miss  Sarah  Dyer  Barnes 
Mr.  Josiah  M.  Barney 
Miss  Hattie  B.  Barns 


Hon.  Chester  W.  Barrows 
Miss  Mildred  E.  Bassett 
W.  Lincoln  Bates,  M.D. 
Mr.  Earl  G.  Batty 
Mrs.  Daniel  Beckwith 
Mrs.  Herbert  G.  Beede 
Mr.  Horace  G.  Belcher 
Mr.  Horatio  E.  Bellows 
Mrs.  Edward  W.  Blodgett 
G.  Alder  Blumer,  M.D. 
Mr.  J.  J.  Bodell 
Mrs.  Theodore  P.  Bogert 
Harold  Bowditch,  ALI). 
Mrs.  Charles  Bradlev 
Mr.  Claude  R.  Branch 
Mr.  John  B.  Branch 
Mrs.Villiam  C.  H.  Brand 
Miss  Alice  Bra\ton 
Miss  Elizabeth  H.  Bra\ton 
Miss  Ida  F.  Bridgham 
Mr.  Herbert  O.  Brigham 
Miss  Eva  St.  C.  Brightman 
Mrs.  Clarence  A.  Brouwer 
Mr.  Clarence  Irving  Brown 
Mr.  Cyrus  P.  Brown 
Mr.  Frank  Hail  Brown 
Mrs.  Frank  Hail  Brown 
Miss  Isabel  R.  Brown 
Mr.  John  Nicholas  Brown 
Mr.  Wilbur  D.  Brown 
Mr.  Alfred  S.  Browncll 
Mr.  Edward  C.  Bucklin 
Mr.  Harris  H.  Bucklin 
Miss  Clara  Buffuni 
Mr.  Frederick  H.  Buffum 
Mrs.  William  P.  Buffum 
Mr.  Henrv  Buker 


83 


84 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Mrs.  George  S.  Bullock 
Mr.  George  Rothwell  Burgess 
Mr.  Sydney  R.  Burleigh 
Mr.  Edwin  A.  Burlingame 
Mr.  Raymond  Buss 
Mr.  Alfred  T.  Butler 
Miss  Irene  B.  Butler 
Mr.  G.  Edward  Buxton 
Mr.  John  H.  Cady 
Mrs.  Charles  A.  Calder 
Miss  Helen  G.  Calder 
Frank  T.  Calef,  M.D. 
Mr.  Herbert  C.  Calef 
Mr.  Walter  R.  Callender 
Mrs.  Walter  R.  Callender 
Mrs.  George  H.  Capron 
Mr.  Thomas  B.  Card 
Mrs.  George  W.  Carr 
Mr.  Edward  Carrington 
Mr.  William  Carroll 
Miss  Anna  H.  Chace 
Mr.  Malcolm  G.  Chace 
Mrs.  Everitte  S.  Chaffee 
Mr.  Robert  F.  Chambers 
Mr.  Arthur  D.  Champlin 
Mr.  George  B.  Champlin 
Mr.  George  Allen  Chandler 
Charles  \Cchapin,  M.D. 
Mrs.  Charles  \'.  Chapin 
Mr.  Howard  M.  Chapin 
Mrs.  Howard  M.  Chapin 
Mr.  William  P.  Chapin 
Mr.  Frederic  L.  Chase 
Julian  A.  Chase,  M.D. 
E.  D.  Chesebro,  M.D. 
Mr.  Albert  W.  Claflin 
Mrs.  Edward  S.  Clark 
Mrs.  Henry  G.  Clark 
Mr.  Prescott  O.  Clarke 
Prof.  Theodore  Collier 
Mrs.  Clarkson  A.  Collins,  Jr. 
Mr.  James  C.  Collins 
Mr.  Edward  L.  Coman 
Mr.  Jonathan  F.  Comstock 
Mrs.V.  A.  H.  Comstock 


Mr.  Walter  J.  Comstock 

Mr.  William  P.  Comstock 

Mr.  Charles  D.  Cook 

Mrs.  Charles  D.  Cook 

Mr.  Albert  B.  Coulters 

Mr.  Ernest  S.  Craig 

Prof.  Verner  W.  Crane 

Mr.  Frank  H.  Cranston 

Miss  Mary  E.  H.  Cranston 

George  H.  Crooker,  M.D. 

Mr.  Harry  Parsons  Cross 

Frank  Anthony  Cummings,  M.D. 

Mrs.  Frank  Anthony  Cummings 

Prof.  S.  Foster  Damon 

Murray  S.  Danforth,  M.D. 

Mrs.  Murray  S.  Danforth 

Miss  Edith  R.  Danielson 

Mr.  William  C.  Dart 

Mr.  Foster  B.  Davis 

Miss  Marv  Elliott  Davis 

Mrs.  R.  C.  Davis 

Mr.  Charles  J.  Davol 

Mr.  Herbert  R.  Dean 

Mrs.  Thomas  Hart  deCoudres 

Prof.  Edmund  B.  Delabarre 

Miss  Alice  S.  Dexter 

Miss  Eunice  W.  Dexter 

Mr.  Flenry  C.  Dexter 

Miss  Louise  Diman 

Mr.  Fred  Morton  Dixon,  Jr. 

Mrs.  Harriet  M.  F.  Dixon 

Mr.  Michael  F.  Dooley 

Mr.  Louis  W.  Downes 

Mrs.  Louis  W.  Downes 

Mr.  Robert  T.  Downs 

Mr.  Charles  L.  Drown 

Mr.  David  Duncan 

Miss  Margarethe  L.  Dwight 

Mr.  H.  Anthony  Dyer 

Mr.  William  Allan  Dyer 

Mr.  Charles  G.  Easton 

Mr.  Frederick  W.  Easton 

Mr.  Alfred  U.  Eddy 

Mr.  Cyrus  T.  Eddy 

Miss  Isabel  Eddy 


LIST  OF   MEMBERS 


85 


Mr.  William  Holdcn  Eddy 
Miss  Harriet  C.  Edmonds 
Miss  Edith  Edwards 
Mr.  Walter  Angell  Edwards 
Mr.  [ames  Elgar 
Mr.  William  Ely 
Mr.  Frank  W.  Emerson 
Mr.  Ralph  C.  Estes 
Mr.  William  Wood  Estes 
Mr.  Walter  F.  Farrell 
Mr.  Henry  A.  Fitield 
Mrs.  Irving  Fisher 
Mr.  Augustus  H.  Fiske 
Mrs.  Charles  Fletcher 
Mr.  Elliot  Flint 
Hon.  William  S.  Flvnn 
Mr.  Charles  S.  Foster 
Mr.  John  R.  P.  Foster 
Mr.  William  E.  Foster 
Mrs.  George  H.  Fowler 
Mrs.  Austen  G.  Fox 
Mr.  Hovey  T.  Freeman 
Mr.  John  R.  Freeman 
Mr.    foscph  W.  Freeman 
Mr.  William  C.  Frv 
Mr.  Frederick  H.  Fuller 
Mr.  R.  Clinton  Fuller 
Frank  T.  Fulton,  M.D. 
Mme.  Annita  Gahurri 
Hon.  Joseph  H.  Gainer 
Mr.  William  Gammell 
Mr.  William  Gammell,  Jr. 
George  W.  Gardner,  M'.D. 
Prof.  Henry  B.  Gardner 
Mrs.  John  T.  Gardner 
Mr.  Preston  H.  Gardner 
Mr.  Rathbone  Gardner 
Mr.  Daniel  F.  George 
Hon.  Peter  G.  Gerry 
Mrs.  Peter  G.  Gerrv 
Mr.  John  R.  Gladding 
Mrs.  Alice  C.  Gleeson 
Mr.  Robert  H.  L  Goddard 
Mr.  George  T.  Gorton 
Mr.  Harrv  Hale  Goss 


Mr.  Eugene  S.  Graves 
Mrs.  Eugene  S.  Graves 
Mr.  Theodore  Francis  Green 
Mr.  Edward  Aborn  Greene 
Miss  Esther  F.  Greene 
Mrs.  Joseph  Warren  Greene 
Mr.  Thomas  C.  Greene 
Mr.  Ralph  M.  Greenlaw 
Mr.  William  B.  Greenough 
Mr.  Russell  Grinnell 
Mr.  E.  Tudor  Gross 
Hon.  J.  Jerome  Hahn 
Mr.  John  W.  Halev 
Mr.  ElleryA.  Hall' 
Miss  Annette  M.  Ham 
Mrs.  Livingston  Ham 
Mrs.  Albert  G.  Harkness 
Mr.  Gilbert  A.  Harrington 
Mr.  Benjamin  P.  Harris 
Miss  Mary  A.  Harris 
Mr.  Stephen  C.  Harris 
Mr.  Everett  S.  Hartwell 
N.  Darrell  Harvey,  M.D. 
Mr.  William  A.  Hathaway 
Mr.  Edward  Northup  Hay 
Miss  Caroline  Hazard 
Mr.  Rowland  Hazard 
Mr.  Thomas  G.  Hazard,  Jr. 
Mr.  Charles  F.  Heartman 
Mrs.  W.  E.  Hcathcote 
Mr.  Bernon  E.  Helme 
Mr.  .Arthur  Henius 
Mr.  John  Henshaw 
Mr.  Joseph  G.  Henshaw 
Miss  Mary  G.  Henshaw 
Mr.  Robert  W.  Herrick 
Mr.  William  A.  Hill 
Mr.  Frank  L.  Hinckley 
Mr.  Sumner  W.  Hinds 
Mr.  William  L.  Hodgman 
Mrs.  William  L.  Hodgman 
Mr.  George  J.  Holden 
Mr.  Charles  .A.  Horton 
Mr.  E.  Harris  Howard,  fr. 
Mr.  Frederic  W.  Howe 


86 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Mr.  M.  A.  DeWolfe  Howe 
Mr.  Wallis  E.  Howe 
Mrs.  William  Erwin  Hoy 
Mrs.  Howard  G.  Hull 
Mr.  Horatio  A.  Hunt 
Mr.  S.  Foster  Hunt 
Mrs.  Duncan  Hunter 
Mr.  George  Hurley 
Mr.  James  H.  Hurley 
Mr.  Richard  A.  Hurley 
Mr.  James  Hazen  Hyde 
Mr.  William  S.  Innis 
Mr.  Norman  M.  Isham 
Mr.  Benjamin  A.  Jackson 
Mrs.  Donald  E.  Jackson 
Mr.  Thomas  A.  Jenckes 
Mr.  George  A.  Jepherson 
Mrs.  Edward  L.  Johnson 
George  F.  Johnson,  M.D. 
Mr.  Edward  C.  Joyce 
Mr.  William  L.  Joyce 
Dr.  Lewis  H.  Kalloch 
Mr.  Francis  B.  Keeney 
Mrs.  Ellsworth  L.  Kelley 
Hon.  Charles  D.  Kimball 
Mr.  H.  Earle  Kimball 
Eugene  P.  King,  M.D. 
Mrs.  Eugene  P.  King 
Mr.  Victor  H.  King 
Lucius  C.  Kingman,  M.D. 
Mr.  C.  Prescott  Knight 
Mrs.  C.  Prescott  Knight 
Mr.  C.  Prescott  Knight,  Jr. 
Mrs.  C.  Prescott  Knight,  Jr. 
Mr.  Robert  L.  Knight 
Mrs.  Robert  L.  Knight 
Mr.  Russell  W.  Knight 
Mrs.  Webster  Knight 
Mrs.  Rhea  L.  M.  Knittle 
Prof.  Harry  L.  Koopman 
Mr.   John  Krawczuk 
Mrs.  Henry  S.  Lanphcr 
Mr.  George  R.  Lawton 
Mr.  Thomas  Z.  Lee 
Charles  H.  Leonard,  M.D. 


Miss  Grace  F.  Leonard 
Miss  Anna  L.  Lestrade 
Mr.  George  H.  Lewis 
Mr.  John  B.  Lewis 
Mr.  [oseph  W.  Lewis 
Mr.  Fereiinand  A.  Lincoln 
Mrs.  Charles  Warren  Lippitt 
Mr.  Charles  Warren  Lippitt 
Mrs.  Frances  Pomeroy  Lippitt 
Mr.  Gorton  T.  Lippitt 
Mrs.  Gorton  T.  Lippitt 
Hon.  Henry  F.  Lippitt 
Mr.  Arthur  B.  Lisle 
Mrs.  Arthur  B.  Lisle 
Mr.  Alden  L.  Littlelield 
Mr.  Charles  W.  Littleficld 
Mr.  Ivor}-  Littlefield 
Rev.  Augustus  M.  Lord 
Mr.  Albert  E.  Lownes 
Mr.  Harold  C.  Lyman 
Mr.  Richard  E.  Lyman 
Mr.  William  A.  McAuslan 
Rev.  Lorenzo  C.  McCarthv 
Mr.  Hugh  F.  MacColl 
Mr.  James  R.  MacColl 
Mr.  William  B.  MacColl 
Mr.  Arthur  M.  McCrillis 
Miss  Grace  E.  Macdonald 
Mr.  T.  F.  L  McDonnell 
Mrs.  T.  F.  L  McDonnell 
Mr.  Benjamin  M.  MacDougall 
Mr.  Charles  B.  Mackinney 
Mrs.  Herbert  E.  Maine 
Mr.  William  L.  Manchester 
Mrs.  William  L.  Manchester 
Mr.  Charles  C.  Marshall 
Mrs.  John  F.  Marvel 
Mr.  Fletcher  S.  Mason 
Mr.  Harold  Mason 
Mr.  John  H.  Mason 
Mrs.  William  B.  Mason 
Mrs.  George  S.  Mathews 
Mr.  Archibald  C.  Matteson 
Mr.  Frank  W.  Matteson 
Mr.  William  L.  Mauran 


LIST  OF   MEMBERS 


87 


Mrs.  William  L.  Mauran 
Mrs.  Frank  Everitt  Maxwell 
Mr.  Harry  V.  Mayo 
Rev.  Charles  A.  Meader 
Mrs.  Paul  A.  Merriam 
Mrs.  Charles  H.  Mcrriman 
Mrs.  E.  Bruce  Merriman 
Mr.  Harold  T.  Merriman 
Mr.  Isaac  B.  Merriman 
Mrs.  E.  T.  H.  Metcalf 
Mr.  G.  Pierce  Metcalf 
Mr.  Houghton  P.  Metcalf 
Mrs.  1.  Harris  Metcalf 
Hon.  Jesse  H.  Metcalf 
Mrs.  Jesse  H.  Metcalf 
Mr.  Stephen  O.  Metcalf 
Lt.  Col.  Willis  C.  Metcalf 
Mr.  William  Davis  Miller 
Mrs.  William  Davis  Miller 
Mr.  George  L.  Miner 
Miss  Lilian  B.  Miner 
Hon.  Louis  Monast 
Mr.  G.  A.  Moriarty,  Jr. 
Mrs.  Bentley  W.  Morse 
Mr.  Edward  S.  Moulton 
Mrs.  Edward  S.  Moulton 
William  M.  Muncy,  M.D. 
Walter  L.  Munro,  M.D. 
Prof.  Wilfred  H.  Munro 
Mr.  Addison  P.  Munroe 
Mrs.  Addison  P.  Munroe 
Mr.  Walter  M.  Murdie 
Mr.  Barnes  Newberry 
Mr.  George  P.  Newell 
Mr.  George  H.  Newhall 
Mr.  Louis  C.  Newman 
Miss  Eliza  Taft  Newton 
Mr.  Paul  C.  Nicholson 
Mr.  Samuel  M.  Nicholson 
Mr.  Elmer  D.  Nickerson 
Ira  Hart  Noyes,  M.D. 
Miss  Mary  Olcott 
Mrs.  Frank  F.  Olney 
Mr.  Erling  C.  Ostbv 
Mr.  Harald  W.  Ostbv 


Mr.  Raymond  E.  Ostby 
Mr.  Harry  C.  Owen 
Mr.  Frederick  A.  Paige 
Mr.  G.  Richmond  Parsons 
Mrs.  G.  Richmond  Parsons 
H.  G.  Partridge,  M.D. 
Mr.  Frederick  S.  Peck 
Mrs.  Frederick  S.  Peck 
Mr.  Stephen  L  Peck 
Mrs.  F.  H.  Peckham 
Kathcrinc  F.  Peckham,  M.D. 
Mr.  Augustus  R.  Peirce 
Mr.  Clarence  E.  Peirce 
Mr.  George  E.  Peirce 
Mrs.  George  E.  Peirce 
Mr.  John  P.  B.  Peirce 
Mr.  Thomas  A.  Peirce 
Mr.  Charles  M.  Perry 
Mr.  Howard  B.  Perry 
Rt.  Rev.  James  DeWolf  Perry 
Mr.  Marsden  J.  Perry 
John  M.  Peters,  M.D. 
Mr.  Albert  N.  Peterson 
Mr.  James  F.  Phetteplace 
Mrs.  James  F.  Phetteplace 
Mr.  Arthur  L.  Philbrick 
Mr.  Charles  H.  Philbrick 
Mrs.  Frank  N.  Phillips 
Mrs.  Gilbert  A.  Phillips 
Mr.  Byron  A.  Pierce 
Mr.  Thomas  L.  Pierce 
Herman  C.  Pitts,  M.D. 
Mr.  Albert  H.  Poland 
Lewis  B.  Porter,  M.D. 
Prof.  Albert  K.  Potter 
Dr.  Arthur  M.  Potter 
Mr.  B.  Thomas  Potter 
Mrs.  Dexter  B.  Potter 
Mrs.  Thomas  L  Hare  Powel 
Mr.  Howard  W.  Preston 
Mrs.  Howard  W.  Preston 
Miss  Evclvn  M.  Purdv 
Helen  C.  Putnam,  M.D. 
Mr.  Patrick  H.  Quinn 
Mrs.  Gustav  Radeke 


88 


RHODE  ISLAND   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Mrs.  George  R.  Ramsbottom 
Mr.  Walter  E.  Ranger 
Mrs.  C.  K.  Rathbone 
Hon.  Elmer  J.  Rathbun 
Mr.  George  H.  Raymond 
Mrs.  Irving  E.  Raymond 
Mrs.  Charles  O.  Read 
Mrs.  Joseph  H.  Regester 
Mr.  Charles  C.  Remington 
Rhode  Island  State  College 
Mr.  Dana  Rice 
Mr.  Herbert  W.  Rice 
Gen.  John  J.  Richards 
Miss  Louise  Richardson 
Mr.  Henry  Isaac  Richmond 
Mr.  Leonard  M.  Robinson 
Mr.  Louis  E.  Robinson 
Mr.  Robert  Rodman 
Rev.  Arthur  Rogers 
Mrs.  Mabel  K.  Rogers 
Mr.  Henry  W.  Sackett 
Mr.  Kenneth  Shaw  Safe 
Mrs.  T.  Shaw  Safe 
Mr.  Henry  Salomon 
Mrs.  G.  Coburn  Sanctuary 
Mrs.  David  S.  Seaman 
Mr.  Henry  M.  Sessions 
Prof.  Robert  F.  Seybolt     . 
Miss  Ellen  D.  Sharpe 
Mr.  Henry  D.  Sharpe 
Mrs.  Frederick  E.  Shaw 
Mrs.  Arthur  N.  Sheldon 
Mr.  Edward  A.  Sherman 
Mr.  Edwin  F.  Sherman 
Mr.  Harry  B.  Sherman 
Mrs.  Arthur  F.  Short 
Prof.  St.  George  L.  Sioussat 
Mrs.  Charles  Sisson 
Mr.  George  Paul  Slade 
Mrs.  Ruthven  T.  Slade 
Mr.  William  A.  Slade 
Mr.  Henry  L.  Slader 
Mrs.  Byron  N.  H.  Smith 
Mrs.  Edwin  C.  Smith 
Joseph  Smith,  M.D. 


Mr.  Nathaniel  W.  Smith 
R.  Morton  Smith,  M.D. 
Mr.  Walter  B.  Smith 
Mrs.  Whitney  Smith 
Mr.  Sylvester  M.  Snow- 
Mr.  Robert  L.  Spencer 
Mr.  William  A.  Spicer 
Mrs.  Frank  f.  Sprague 
Mr.  Charles^R.  Stark 
Mrs.  James  G.  Staton 
Hon.  Charles  F.  Stearns 
Mr.  Walter  H.  Stearns 
Mrs.  Charles  J.  Steedman 
Mr.  Thomas  E.  Steere 
Mr.  Oscar  F.  Stetson 
Mr.  Frederick  A.  Stevens 
Miss  Maud  Lyman  Stevens 
Mr.  Edward  Clinton  Stiness 
Mr.  Henry  Y.  Stitcs 
Mr.  Edward  A.  Stockwell 
Mr.  George  A.  Stone 
Mr.  Charles  T.  Straight 
Mr.  H.  Nelson  Street 
Mr.  Henry  A.  Street 
Mr.  John  F.  Street 
Mr.  Rush  Sturges 
Hon.  Arthur  P.  Sumner 
Mr.  Frank  H.  Swan 
Mrs.  Gardner  T.  Swarts 
Hon.   fohn  W.  Sweenev 
Mr.  Robert  W.  Taft 
Mr.  Royal  C.  Taft 
Bcnjam'in  F.  Tetft,  M.D. 
Mrs".  Albert  H.  Tetlow 
Mr.  Charles  F.  Thatcher 
Mrs.  J.  P.  Thorndikc 
Mrs.  Frank  W.  Tillinghast 
Mr.  John  A.  Tillinghast 
Mr.  William  R.  Tillinghast 
Louisa  Paine  Tingley,  M.D. 
Mr.  F.  L.  Titsworth 
Mrs.  William  O.  Todd 
Mrs.  Stacy  Tolman 
Mr.  Frederick  E.  Tripp 
Mrs.  Herman  E.  Trotter 


LIST  OF   MEMBKRS 


89 


Mr.  William  ].  Tully 

Mrs.  Albert  C.  Tvlcr 

Mr.  D.  Berkeley  Updike 

Mr.  William  H.  \'anderbilt 

Mr.  William  A.  \'iall 

Hon.  Walter  B.  \'incent 

Mrs.  Arthur  M.  Walker 

Mr.  A.  Tingley  Wall 

Mrs.  Maurice  K.  Washburn 

Mr.  Frederick  \'.  Waterman 

Mrs.  Lewis  A.  Waterman 

Prof.  Arthur  K.  Watson 

Mr.  Byron  S.  Watson 

Mr.  Edward  L.  Watson 

Mr.  John  J.  Watson 

Mrs.  William  B.  Weeden 

Mr.  Edward  H.  Weeks 

Mrs.  Edward  H.  Weeks 

Mr.  Charles  H.  Welling 

Mr.  Richard  Ward  Greene  Welling 

Mr.  Herbert  ].  Wells 


Mr.  lohn  H.  Wells 

Mr.  Thomas  H.  West,  Jr. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Nicholson  White 

Mr.  Herbert  O.  White 

Mr.  Willis  H.White 

Mrs.  Gerald  Whitman 

Mrs.  Henry  .A.  Whitmarsh 

Mr.  Victor  Wilbour 

Mr.  Frank  J.  Wilder 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  K.  Wilkinson 

W.  Fred  Williams,  M.D. 

Miss  Amey  L.  Willson 

Mr.  Percy  J.  Wilson 

Mr.  William  A.  Wing 

Mr.  Wilson  G.  Wing 

Mrs.  George  P.  Winship 

Mrs.  Augustus  A.  Wolf 

Mr.  Carlos  G.  Wright 

Mr.  Nathan  M.  Wright 

Mr.  Lawrence  C.  Wroth 


90  RHODE  ISLAND   HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


The  New  England  Flag 

B\  Howard  M.  Chapin 

The  first  so-called  New  England  flag  was  a  red  flag 
having  a  white  canton  in  the  upper  corner  near  the  staff/ 
It  was  in  use  from  1636  to  1686  and  differed  from  the 
contemporary  English  red  ensign  which  carried  a  red  cross 
in  the  white  canton.  Although  this  flag  with  the  plain 
white  canton  is  generally  called  the  New  England  flag,  it 
may  in  reality  have  been  merely  a  Massachusetts  Bay  col- 
ony flag,  for  no  evidence  has  been  produced  proving  that 
the  flag  was  ever  used  by  any  other  of  the  New  England 
colonies. 

The  second  so-called  New  England  flag  was  a  white  flag 
with  a  red  cross  on  which  in  gold  appeared  the  King's 
initials,  I.  R.  in  script  surmounted  by  a  crown.  This  flag 
is  illustrated  in  Samuel  G.  Arnold's  "History  of  Rhode 
Island.""'  A  contemporary  drawing  of  this  flag  in  colors  is 
preserved  in  London.  Captain  Byron  McCandless,  U.  S. 
N.,  the  leading  American  authority  on  flags,  called  my 
attention  to  the  fact  that  this  flag  had  gold  fringe  and  that 
there  were  tassels  on  the  staff  and  that  in  design  it  was 
similar  to  other  flags  carried  by  the  King's  soldiers. '  There 
is  nothing  in  the  design  of  this  flag  that  is  distinctive  of 
New  England.  McCandless  concludes  that  it  was  not  the 
territorial  flag  of  New  England,  but  merely  the  design  for 
the  colors  to  be  made  for  the  use  of  the  King's  two  com- 
panies of  foot  soldiers  in  New  England,  which  were  au- 


-^An  illustration  of  this  flag,  together  with  a  reprint  of  the  documen- 
tary evidence  in  regard  to  its  use,  is  included  in  "Roger  Williams  and 
the  King's  Colors"  by  Howard  M.  Chapin.  Published  by  the  Society 
of  Colonial  Wars  in  Rhode  Island,  Providence,  1928. 

-I,  op.  p.  496. 

^Roger  Williams  and  the  King's  Colors  p.  24. 


THE  NEW   ENGLAND  FLAG  QI 

thorized  at  this  time,  1686.  The  sketch  of  this  flag,, 
which  was  painted  in  1686,  is  inscribed  "New  England 
Colours",  a  phrase  which  might  mean  the  New  England 
territorial  colors^  as  has  been  believed  for  over  half  a  cen- 
tury, or  which  might  equally  as  well  mean  that  the  design 
was  jor  colors  to  be  sent  to  Nezv  England,  or  colors  for  the 
Nezv  England  soldiers. 

The  third  so-called  New  England  flag  is  often  described 
as  the  pine  tree  flag.  If  the  flag  with  the  plain  white  can- 
ton was  really  the  flag  of  the  colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay, 
as  is  quite  possible,  and  if  the  so-called  New  England 
Colours  of  1686  was  merely  the  design  for  the  flag  to  be 
carried  by  the  King's  soldiers  in  New  England,  as  seems 
highly  probably,  then  the  tree  flag  is  the  first  real  flag  dis- 
tinctive of  New  England. 

This  tree  flag  appears  under  various  forms.  The  earliest 
reference  to  it  was  discovered  by  W.  G.  Perrin,  Esq.,  the 
leading  British  authority  on  flags,  in  Lieutenant  Graydon's 
manuscript  flag  book^  in  the  Pepysian  Library  at  Magdal- 
ene College,  Cambridge.  The  book  is  dated  1686  and  the 
flag  is  illustrated  in  color,  presumably  drawn  and  painted 
by  Lieutenant  Graydon  himself  in  the  year  1686. 

The  flag  is  a  white  flag  with  a  red  cross  (the  St.  George 
flag)  with  an  oak  tree  in  the  first  canton  or  quarter.  The 
oak  tree  is  green,  outlined  in  black  and  powdered  with 
gold  dots.  The  flag  is  entitled  "New  England"  and  as  it 
is  placed  beside  the  English  merchant  jack  which  it  closely 
resembles,  it  seems  safe  to  assume  that  it  was  the  New 
England  tree  flag  in  its  jack  form.  The  black  outline  and 
the  gold  dots  were  presumably  not  essential  to  the  design, 
but  were  doubtless  the  embellishments  of  some  artistically 
inclined  flag-maker,  or  possibly  of  Graydon  himself.  The 
fact  that  an  oak  tree  and  not  a  pine  tree  was  used  is  note- 
worthv. 


*'insignia  Navalia  by  Lt.  Gradon,  1686'",  p.  19. 


92  RHODK  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

The  pine  tree  shillings  of  colonial  Massachusetts  have 
been  so  famous  that  the  fact  that  the  willow  tree  and  the 
oak  tree  also  appeared  on  the  early  coins  of  the  colony  of 
Massachusetts  Bay  has  to  a  great  extent  been  forgotten. 
George  C.  Arnold"  lists  five  denominations  of  oak  tree  cur- 
rency, four  of  pine  tree  and  two  of  willow  tree.  Dr.  Mal- 
colm Storer,  in  a  still  more  recent  study  of  the  subject," 
states  that  the  oak  tree  was  used  on  at  least  nine  varieties  of 
dies.  He  points  out  the  fact  that  the  date  on  a  particular 
coin  is  not  the  date  of  issue,  and  that  pine  tree  shillings, 
issued  up  to  the  time  the  mint  was  abolished  about  1688, 
still  bore  the  date  1 652.  He  concludes  that  the  willow  tree 
series  was  minted  first  and  that  the  device  was  changed  to 
an  oak  tree  in  1662. 

The  tree,  whether  willow,  oak,  or  pine,  was  one  of  the 
devices  commonly  used  in  Massachusetts  Bay  as  symbolic 
of  that  colony,  and  as  Massachusetts  Bay  dominated  New 
England  commercially,  its  devices  often  came  to  be  con- 
sidered, especially  overseas,  as  symbolic  of  New  England 
as  a  conscious  geographic,  even  if  not  a  legal  political  en- 
tity. 

Felt,  in  his  history  of  Massachusetts  currency,'  relates 
the  following  anecdote  in  regard  to  the  oak  tree  shilling. 

"Relative  to  our  own  specie,  an  interesting  turn  was 
given  by  Thomas  Temple — a  warm  friend  of  New  Eng- 
land and  Governor  of  Nova  Scotia — in  conversation  with 
His  Majesty,  Charles  II.  Being  introduced  to  the  King, 
while  on  a  visit  to  London,  he  was  permitted  to  kiss  his 
hand.  This  sovereign  discoursed  with  him  on  the  state  of 
affairs  in  Massachusetts,  and  discovered  great  warmth  of 


^Numismatic  Guide.  Providence,   1914,   12th  edition. 

''Old-Time  New  England,  October,   1929. 

'^Felt,  pp.  38-39.  Preble,  p.  190,  gives  a  variant  story,  crediting  the 
remarks  to  Sir  Charles  Temple.  Storer  in  "Old  Time  New  England" 
gives  a  third  variety  of  the  anecdote. 


THE   NKVV    K.\(;LA.\I)   FLAG  93 

feeling  against  them.  Among  other  things,  he  said,  that 
they  had  inxaded  his  right  by  coining  money.  Governor 
Temple  told  hnn,  that  the  colonists  thought  it  no  crime  to 
make  money  for  their  own  use.  In  course  of  the  interview^ 
Mr.  Temple  took  some  of  our  coin  from  his  pocket  and  pre- 
sented it  to  the  king.  Seeing  a  tree  on  one  of  the  pieces, 
Charles  inc]uired  what  sort  of  a  tree  that  was.  The  im- 
mediate reply  was,  it  was  the  royal  oak,  which  preserved 
his  majesty's  life.  Such  an  answer  brought  the  king  to  good 
humor,  and  induced  him  to  hear  the  pleas  which  the  gov- 
ernor made  in  favor  of  our  colony.  It  is  presumed  from 
the  character  of  Mr.  Temple,  that  on  this  occasion  he  in- 
tended no  deceit,  but  a  pleasant,  figurative  allusion  to  a 
remarkable  preservation  of  his  majesty." 

It  seems  probable  that  the  original  idea  was  to  have  on 
the  coins  a  tree  symbolic  of  the  forests  with  their  poten- 
tial resources  and  that  any  tree'^  was  therefore  considered 
satisfactory.  Subsequently  at  a  much  later  date  more  pine 
tree  coins  were  minted  and  circulated,  so  that  the  name 
fine  tree  shilling  came  into  use.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  at  a  later  date  the  codfish  was  used  in  Massachusetts  as 
symbolic  of  the  importance  of  that  industry. 

The  next  reference  to  the  New  England  flag  seems  to  be 
in  "Le  Neptune  Francois,"'  published  at  Amsterdam  by 
Pieter  Mortier  in  1693.  It  is  shown  in  colors  as  a  blue  flag 
with  a  white  canton  containing  the  red  cross  of  St.  George, 
with  a  tree  in  the  first  quarter.  The  tree  resembles  a  pine 
tree  more  than  an  oak  tree  and  presumably  was  green  on 
the  flag.  The  illustration  is  entitled  "Pavilion  Anglois  de 
la  N.  Angleterre.   Rouge.  &c.   Engelse  Mag  van  N.  Enge- 


'^The  act  of  the  Massachusetts  General  Court  of  October  19,  165  2, 
specifies  a  tree,  but  does  not  specify  the  sort  of  tree. 

•'Preble,  p.  1  89,  apparently  refers  to  this  book.  A  copy  of  this  edition 
is  in  the  Library  of  Congress.  There  is  a  1703  edition  with  Hag  sheets 
struck  from  the  same  plates. 


•94 


RHODE   ISLAND   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


landt.  Rood.  &c."  The  tincture  lines  also  show  the  color 
of  the  held  of  the  flag  to  be  blue,  but  the  description  in  the 
text  after  the  name  of  the  flag  would  seem  to  indicate  that 
the  field  was  red.    The  flags  are  hand  colored  and  some 


1 

'm.vcA  ■ 

^HM^^ 

ij 

^''iW--  ■ 

t%:- 

^ 

""^^-^^^  J^  r 

^n^  l^p 

9^^ 

, 

^^^^#.,  X-  i 

i:  J  -; ./I' 

^^^ 

^5  1   ^ 

#^#i 

mm 

^^p^^ffl^^ 

ta 

iVNTIXON  JiSGLOlS 

THE    NEW    ENGLAND    FLAG    AS   SHOWN    IN    "LH    NKPLUNE    FRANCOIS,"    1693 

TrGni  copy  ozvned  by  ]l'illia//i  Davis  Miller. 


THE    NEW    ENGLAND    TREE    FLAG    AS   SHOWN    LN    ANOTHER    COPY 
OF   "lE   NEPTUNE    FRANCOIS,"    1693 

In  this  copy  the  flag  is  so  heavily  painted  that  the  tincture  lines  do 
not  show  and  owing  to  careless  brush  work  the  tree  resembles  a  globe. 


THE   NF.W   EN  (-.LAND   FEAG 


95 


copies  are  shown  with  red  held,  white  canton,  red  cross 
and  green  tree.'" 


f^ew  Ei^/enJ   Enftgn 


FROM    "tHK    PKl  SKN  I     -I   \1  1     OF     IHK    I'MVKR-^K,"'    1701 

I/i  the  Admiralty  Librarw  Lomloii 


The  hrst  English  book  that  contains  an  illustration  of 
the  tree  flag  is  John  Beaumont's  "The  Present  State  of  the 
Universe,""  wherein  the  flag  appears  in  colors  as  a  red 
flag  with  a  white  canton  having  a  red  cross,  with  a  green 
oak  tree  in  the  hrst  quarter.  The  oak  tree  is  outlined  in 
black,  doubtless  an  unessential  detail,  and  the  flag  is  en- 
titled "New  England  Ensign."  The  appearance  of  the  oak 
tree  in  the  drawing  of  1686  and  also  in  the  printed  illus- 


'"Copv  of  1693  edition  in  New  York  Historical  Society  Library. 

"Anonymous.  The  1694  edition  is  in  the  British  Museum  and  does 
not  contain  the  flag  plate  which  appears  in  the  1701  edition.  The  1701 
(3d  edit),  is  in  the  Librarv  of  Congress  and  in  the  Admiralty  Library, 
London.  The  1704  (fourth  edition)  is  in  the  Library  of  Congress.  The 
flag  may  have  been  printed  in  the  second  edition.  One  reason  for 
believing  that  the  flag  plate  appeared  in  the  second  edition  is  that 
Drake  (Hist,  of  Boston,  p.  300)  used  an  illustration  of  the  New  Eng- 
land flag  which  seems  to  be  a  simulation  of  the  one  printed  in  "The 
Present  State  of  the  L'^nivcrse"  and  states  that  it  is  "exactly  copied" 
from  an  "English  work  published  before  1700".  He  adds  "we  find  a 
tree  in  the  colors  then  in  use  no  more  representing  a  fine  than  it  does 
a  cabbage''^ .  There  was  in  fact  no  intention  of  representing  a  pine  tree 
in  this  flag. 


96 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


tration  of  1701  is  significant,  especially  as  these  two  draw- 
ings are  evidently  from  different  sources. 


THE   NEW   ENGLAND    FLAG   AS   SHOWN    IN    "lUE    DOMINION    OF    THE 

SEAS,"   170  5 

Fro?>i  copy  ozoied  by  Capt.  Byron  McCandless,    U.  S.  N. 


The  next  English  book  that  contains  an  illustration  of 
the  New  England  tree  flag  seems  to  be  "A  General 
Treatise  of  the  Dominion  of  the  Sea  and  a  Complete  Body 
of  the  Sea  Laws,"  London,  1705.  It  is  anonymous  but 
ascribed  to  Alexander  Justice.^'  The  "New  England  En- 
sign" is  shown  with  a  red  held,  a  red  cross  in  a  white  canton, 
and  with  a  very  crudely  drawn  tree  in  the  first  canton  of 
the  cross.  The  color  of  the  tree  is  not  indicated  but  the 
other  colors  are  indicated  by  tincture  lines.  The  tree  it- 
self looks  more  like  a  palm  tree  than  a  pine  tree,  although  it 
might  have  been  intended  to  represent  an  oak  or  a  willow. 

How  extensively  the  tree  fag  was  used  in  New  Eng- 


^ "Anonymous,  but  ascribed  to  Justice.  The  earliest  edition  we  have 
located  is  that  of  1705,  copies  of  which  are  in  the  British  Museum,  in 
the  Admiralty  Library,  London,  and  in  the  Library  of  Congress.  Copies 
of  the  third  edition  (issued  after  1707,  probably  about  1710)  are  in 
the  British  Museum  and  in  the  Admiralty  Library.  McCandless'  copy 
of  this  edition  contains  a  manuscript  note  to  the  effect  that  the  work 
was  by  Welwod  and  was  first  issued  in  1696,  and  reprinted  in  1705. 
This  note  may  be  in  error.  There  is  a  copy  in  the  library  of  William 
Davis  Miller. 


THE  NEW   ENGLAND  FLAG  97 

land,  and  on  New  England  ships,  must  remain  a  matter 
of  conjecture,  but  it  seems  safe  to  assume  that  the  tree 
-flag  in  its  jack  form  was  used  on  New  England  ships,  par- 
ticularly in  the  reign  of  James  II,  and  that  the  tree  flag  in 
its  ensign  form  was  used  at  least  as  early  as  the  reign  of 
William  III. 

The  first  dated  reference  to  the  globe  flag  seems  to  be 
in  the  "Schouw-Park  aller  Scheeps-Vlaggen"  or  "Tableau 
des  Pavilions  de  Mer,"  which  was  published  by  Pieter 
Schenck  at  Amsterdam  in  171  1.''  The  New  England  flag 
is  shown  hand  colored  and  with  the  colors  also  shown  by 
tincture  lines,  as  a  bJue  flag,  having  a  white  canton  with  a 
red  cross  and  with  a  globe  on  a  standard  in  the  first  quarter 
of  the  canton.  The  globe  is  outlined  in  black,  but  no  color 
is  specified.  No  reference  to  this  globe  flag  has  been  found 
in  any  contemporary  English  or  American  writings,  and 
the  fact  that  this  first  reference  to  it  is  found  in  a  flag  sheet 
printed  in  Holland,  suggests  the  interesting  possibility 
that  the  globe  may  have  been  a  mistake  on  the  part  of  some 
French  or  Dutch  flag  artist,  or  observer.  The  shape  of  the 
tree  as  drawn  m  the  French  Neptune  and  by  Beaumont, 
resembles  in  general  the  shape  of  a  globe  on  a  standard, 
and  an  observer  or  artist  copying  the  design  from  a  flutter- 
ing flag  or  from  confused  notes  might  easily  have  made 
such  a  mistake. 

In  the  year  1718  D.  Mortier  published  at  Amsterdam  a 
book  entitled  "Les  Pavilions  ou  Bannieres.  .  .  "'^  In  this 
volume  the  New  England  flag  is  described  as  the  "Pavil- 
ion de  la  Nouvelle  Angleterre  en  Amerique"  and  is  illus- 
trated w^ith  the  colors  shown  by  tincture  lines. 


^ ''There  is  a  copy  in  the  library  of  William  Davis  Miller. 

^ "'These  pages  are  also  included  in  a  larger  volume  entitled  "L'Art  de 
Batir.  .  ."  which  was  issued  in  1718.  A  copy  is  in  the  Admiralty 
Library.  There  is  a  copy  of  the  1719  edition  of  "L'Art  de  Batir"  in 
the  John  Hay  Librar\-  in  Providence. 


98 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Pavilj^on   de  l.\ 
NOUVELLE  ANGI.ETERRE  er.  AMERK^UE 

From  "L'Art  dc  Ratir    .    .    .    ,"  published  by  D.  Morticr  in  1  7  1  9. 

Thcrf  Is  i!  copy  in  tlu-  lihrary  of  William  Davis  Miller  and  in 
John   Hay  Library,  Hruzcn   Ufii-versify,  Proz'idence. 

The  fact  that  this  globe  fag  is  not  shown  in  any  Eng- 
lish or  American  books  printed  in  the  colonial  period  and 
that  its  first  appearance  in  an  English  publication  is  in  1783 
in  Carrington  Bowles'^ "  book,  wherein  it  appears  in  colors, 
being  colored  as  in  Mortier's  book,  with  the  globe  outlined 
in  black  and  uncolored,  and  with  the  title  "Nouve  Angle- 
terre"  is  significant.  As  the  book  is  printed  in  English,  the 
French  title  of  this  illustration  indicates  that  this  flag 
design  was  drawn  from  some  French  book. 

But  to  return  to  Mortier,  we  find  that  the  editor  of  that 


■^''In  the  Admiralty  Library,  London. 


THK   XKW    KXGLAND   FLACI  99 

book  undertook  to  explain  the  significance  of  the  globe  in 
the  New  England  flag.   An  explanatory  note  reads: 

"Pavilion  de  la  Nouvelle  Angleterre  en  Amenque.  II 
est  bleu  au  franc  quartier  d'argent,  ecartele  d'une  Croix 
rouge,  ayant  au  premier  c^uartier  une  Sphere  Celeste,  fai- 
sant  allusion  a  V Amenque ^  qu'on  nomme  communement 
le  Noiiveau  Adunde.^^  This  flag  appears  in  the  "Table  des 
Pavilions"  which  was  issued  by  Covens  and  Mortier  at 
Amsterdam,'"  anci  which  though  ascribed  to  about  1720 
was  probably  published  beft^re  1711. 

There  seems  to  be  little  contemporary  evidence  in  re- 
gard to  the  use  of  the  New  England  tree  flag  after  the 
reign  of  William  III.  The  appearance  of  the  flag  in  later 
editions  of  the  "Neptune  Francois",  "The  Dominion  of 
the  S'jas",  and  "The  Present  State  of  the  Universe",  does 
not  of  course  signify  that  the  flag  was  still  in  use  at  the  time 
of  the  later  editions,  but  merely  that  it  was  thought  to  be 
in  use  at  the  time  of  the  edition  in  which  the  illustration 
first  appeared.  The  appearance  of  the  globe  flag  in  the 
1711  "Schauw-Park"  and  in  the  L'Art  cie  Batir  of  1718  is 
of  practically  no  value  as  evidence  in  regard  to  the  actual 
usage  of  the  New  England  flag,  unless  the  fact  that  the 
globe  flag  of  1711  was  an  erroneous  attempt  to  reproduce 
the  tree  flag  of  1693,  might  be  taken  as  evidence  that  the 
New  England  flag  had  become  so  uncommon  that  its  de- 
vice was  practically  unknown  in  Holland  in  1711.  From 
this  it  niight  be  argued  with  a  fair  amount  of  probability 
that  the  New  Englanci  tree  flag  fell  out  of  use  as  a  mari- 
time flag  in  or  before  the  reign  of  Anne.  Its  use  as  an  en- 
sign and  as  a  jack  apparently  was  made  illegal  by  the  flag 
ac^tof  1707. 

It  probably  persisted  in  one  or  more  forms  as  a  distin- 
guishing regimental  (or  mt)re  properly  perhaps  a  com- 
pany) flag  in  New  England,  but  such  use  would  naturally 


"'Copy  in  the  lihrary  of  William  I_)avis  Miller  and  in  the  Libran^  of 
Congress. 


100  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

not  be  known  abroad  at  that  time.  The  reason  for  believing 
that  it  continued  to  be  used  by  some  New  England  militia 
is  because  the  p'nie  tree  blue  ensign  (that  is  the  pine  tree 
flag  with  the  blue  field  such  as  was  illustrated  in  the  1693 
"Neptune  Francois"  is  alleged  to  have  been  carried  by 
Massachusetts  soldiers  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill  in 
1775. 

The  first  condition  of  the  Covens  and  Mortier  flag  sheet 
was  copied  by  a  German  publisher,  and  in  this  German 
edition^'  the  vertical  or  longitudinal  lines  on  the  globe 
were  omitted,  leaving  only  the  horizontal  or  latitudinal 
lines.  These  horizontal  lines  might  be  mistaken  for  blue 
tincture  lines  and  indeed  were  so  mistaken  in  at  least  one 
case  in  another  German  reprint,  and  the  globe  was  colored 
blue.^^  In  this  case  the  blue  paint  was  put  on  so  carelessly 
and  heavily  that  it  is  opaque  and  the  engraved  lines  of  the 
globe  are  concealed,  leaving  a  blue  blotch. 


Bequest 

Miss  Emily  J.  Anthony,  for  many  years  a  member  of  the 
Society,  died  on  May  16.  She  left  a  bequest  of  $4000  to 
the  Societv. 


''Copy  of  Flaggen  Aller  Seefahrenden  Potenzen  von  lohann   Baptist 
Homann  in  Nurnherg,  owned  by  William  Davis  Miller. 

^■■^Copv  of  Flaggen  Aller  Seefahrenden  Potenzen  von  Matthaus  Seut- 
ter  in  Augsberg,  about  1780,  owned  h\  William  Davis  Miller. 


Roger   Williams  Press 


^i" 


E.  A.  Johnson  Co. 


PROVIDENCE 


Rhode    Island 

Historical  Society 
Collections 


Vol.  XXIII 


OCTOBER,  1930 


No.  4 


SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY    RHODE    ISLAND    THIMBLES 

The  one  at  the  right  belonged  to  Esther  Willctt,  and  the  other  two 
belonged  to  the  Squaw  Sachem  Weunquesh. 

/;;  the  Society's  Museum.   See  page  126. 


J> 


^ijoy^ 


Issued  Quarterly 


68  Waterman  Street,  Providence,  Rhode  Island 


CONTENTS 


Metcalf  Bowler  as  a  British  Spy 

by  Jane  Clark  .  .  .  . 

Watermarks  on  Rhode  Island  Paper 

Thomas  James  .... 

Steamboats  Miantonomi  and  Canonchet 

Window  from  Arthur  Fenner  House 

Spoon  made  by  Gideon  Casey    . 

Chair  owned  by  Governor  Janies  Fenner 

Ship  Joshua  Mauran 

Seventeenth  Century  Thimbles 

Notes 

Court  Dress  of  William  Hopkins 

Heraldic  Notes — Carpenter 

{Illustrated  by  Harold  Bowditch) 


Page 
101 

117 

120 

121 

122 

123 

1 2  1- 

125 

Cover  and  126 

127 

129 

131 


RHODE 
HISTORICAL 


ISLAND 

SOCIETY 


^"^^'lliiiiii'iliiliiiiilll 


COLLECTIONS 


VOL.  XXIII 


October,  1930 


No.  4 


Addison  P.  Mcnroe,  Piesuie/it     Gilbhrp  A.  Harrin<.ion,  Treasurer 
Howard  W.  Preston,  Secretary  Howard  M.  Chapin,  Librarian 


The  Society  assumes  no  rcsponsibilit\-  for  the  statements  or  the  opinions 
of  contributors. 


Mctcalt  Bowler  as  a  British  Spy 

■    By  Jane  Clark 

In  the  v'ears  following  the  American  Revolution,  Sir 
Henry  Clinton,  erstwhile  commander-in-chief  of  His 
Britannic  Majesty's  armies  in  North  America  (1778- 
1782),  was  hghting  his  battles  over  again  in  print.  His 
principal  ammunition  were  the  twenty  thousand  letters, 
returns,  accounts,  memorials,  intelligence  papers,  and 
memoranda,  which  he  had  brought  back  from  America. 
These  had  been  scattered  in  chests  and  boxes  at  his  house 
in  the  countr\',  and  in  bureau  drawers  and  pigeon  holes  at 
his  town  house  in  Porthind  Place.  At  least  one  bundle 
had  been  tucked  away  in  the  seat  of  his  carriage.  Sir 
Henry  Clinton's  collection  of  the  British  Headquarters 
Papers  was  purchased  in  1926  by  Mr.  William  L.  Clem- 
ents for  his  Library  at  the  University  of  Michigan.  Buried 
among  these  was  the  story  of  a  Rhode  Island  "patriot" 
who  had  corresponded  with  the  enemy. 

101 


102  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

As  the  papers  came  to  America  in  their  original  dis- 
order, It  IS  not  surprising  that  the  story  was  unraveJleci 
backwards.  In  the  hrst  month  of  catalogumg,  i  found 
mispiaced  in  the  Arnold-Andre  treason  correspondence, 
hve  letcers  or  "intelligence'  written  at  Providence,  R.  1., 
and  signed  "S.  H."  Almost  a  year  later,  when  new  boxes 
were  opened  for  the  first  time,  two  letters  signed  "Rusti- 
cus"  were  found  among  deserters'  depositions,  dispatches 
to  Lord  George  Germain  and  papers  about  the  Burgoyne 
campaign.  "S.  H.",  and  many  a  better  man,  had  been 
crowded  from  my  memory  by  hundreds  of  other  names, 
but  "Rusticus"  remained.  He  had  begged  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton not  to  disclose  his  name  to  anyone,  and  I  began  to 
think  Sir  Henry  had  granted  his  prayer,  when,  after  the 
lapse  of  another  year's  cataloguing,  I  found  another  letter 
in  "Rusticus'  "  upright  hand.  This  one,  however,  was 
signed  in  bold  letters  "Metcalf  Bowler."  The  name  sud- 
denly reminded  me  that  "S.  H."  had  mentioned  "Mrs. 
Bowler"  whom  I  had  taken  to  be  his  daughter.  The  hand- 
writings of  the  letters  were  checked,  the  pieces  of  the 
puzzle  fitted  together  and  the  secret  was  out.  Metcalf 
Bowler's  correspondence  with  the  enemy  is  published  here- 
with. 

Jane  Clark. 

Portsmouth  Deer    12th    1776 
Sir 

From  some  peculiar  Circumstances  attending  my  situation  in  Life, 
have  been  unwarily-  led  from  my  Duty,  to  the  King,  and  joined  the 
Provincials,  in  their  Opposition  to  His  Majesty's  legal  Government, 
and  accepted  of  some  offices,  inconsistent,  with  my  Alegiance  to  His 
Majesty- — hut  since  the  arrival  of  the  British  Forces  on  Rhode  Island, 
(and  having  the  opportunity  of  seeing  His  Majesty's  most  gracious 
Proclamation)  have  desisted  from  accting  in  any  capacity,  contrary  to 
His  Majesty's  Government — and  propose  to  submit  myself  to  His 
Majesty's  Clemency,  as  soon  as  I  am  able,  to  wait  on  your  Fxcellency — 


METCALF  BOWLKR  AS  A  BRITISH  SPY  IO3 

I  would  beg  leave  just  to  observe — I  am  cloathcd,  by  the  Governor  & 
Company  of  Rhode  Island,  with  a  Commission,  as  Chief  Justice  of  the 
Superior  Court  of  judicature  Court  of  Assize  &c  throughout  this  Colony, 
and  have  sustained  the  Office  of  a  Judge  of  that  Court,  upwards  of  Six 
Years — ^\'et  should  y*"  Excellencv  judge  it  incompatible,  with  His  Maj- 
est\''s  Governmt  to  retain  that  Commission  shall  when  required  of  by  your 
Excellency, deliver  it  up — as  the  Hessian  troopsarequartered  on  the  island 
and  having  committed  many  outrages,  and  depredations,  on  many  of  the 
Inhabittants,  by  entring  their  Houses,  and  plundering  their  Effects, 
and  even  putting  them  in  fear  of  their  Lives — as  I  am  situated  on  the 
Island,  should  esteem  it  a  faveur,  and  indulgence,  if  your  Excellency, 
would  order,  as  soon  as  convienient  a  Guard  to  my  Habitation  at  Ports- 
mouth that  I  mav  be  Protected,  from  the  Insults  of  the  Hessians — 
haveing  put  my  self,  under  the  Protection  of  His  Majesty's  Troops, 
which  Indullgence,  shall  be  gratefully  acknowledged,  hv  him 

Who  has  the  Honor  to  Subscribe 

With   great  defFerence  &  regard 

Yr  Excellency's  Most  obed*  humble  Servt 

Metcalf  Bowi.er 

To  the  Comm""  in  Chief  of  His  Majestv's  Forces  in  Rhode  Island 


Portsmouth  Rhode  Island  Sep""  15th   1778 
Sir 

When  I  had  the  Honor  of  Conversing  with  your  Excellency  a  short 
time  ago  at  Newport — you  desired  I  would  keep  up  an  epistolary  cor- 
respondance  with  your  Excellency  at  New  York — throo  the  hands  of 
Cap*  Savage — having  since  your  departure  thought  a  great  deal  on  that 
Subject — and  at  length  come  to  a  determination  to  do  mv  self  that 
Honor — tho'  should  it  ever  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Provincials — 
shall  run  a  violent  risque  of  my  Life  and  forfeiture  of  mv  Estate  both 
Real  and  Personal — but  as  you  pledg'd  your  Honor  to  me — my  Name 
should  never  be  made  mention  of — nor  called  into  question — my 
Letters  percused  by  no  Person  saving  your  self — that  I  might  make  use 
of  what  Signature  I  pleas'd  so  now  I  commit  my  Life  and  Fortune  into 
vour   Hands   and   Protection — and   hereafter   shall   address   \ou    bv   the 


104  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Signature  of  (Rusticus) — but  am  afraid  from  my  present-situation  my 
Correspondance  will  be  producti\'e  of  little  service  to  His  Majestv — 
for  the  Person  from  whom  I  might  hope  to  gain  intelligence  will  be 
afraid  to  Correspond  frequently  wi-th  me  here — owing  to  the  difficulty 
of  Conveyance  and  apprehension  of  being  detected — But  was  I  upon 
the  Main  my  self — think  1  could  easih'  con\ev  anv  intelligence  neces- 
sary to  some  Person  in  Newport  to  be  forwarded  to  vour  self  at  New 
York — 1  am  willing  provided  y''  Excellenc\  thought  mv  going  with  mv 
Family  on  the  Main  might  be  productive  of  anv  essential  Service  to 
His  Majest^-'s  Government — and  \-ou  would  be  willing  to  advance 
me  a  Sum  in  Specie  to  carry  with  me — which  I  might  make  use  of 
(rendring  }'ou  an  account  of  the  expenditure)  not  only  for  mv  own 
support — but  for  other  necessary-  and  essential  purposes — consent  to 
quit  my  Habitation  at  Portsmouth  and  lea\"e  m\-  Estate  in  Town  and 
Country  in  your  Possesion — and  I  think  1  dare  almost  assure  your 
Excellenc\-- — soon  after  iwv  arrival  at  Pro\  idence  of  becomeing  a  Mem- 
ber of  their  Council  of  War — a  Representative  in  the  General  Assembly 
— and  as  the  choice  for  a  new  set  of  Delegates — for  this  State  com- 
mences next  Spring — should  it  be  vour  will  and  pleasure — with  some 
pecuniar}-  assistance — of  being  returned  one  of  the  Delegates  in  Con- 
gress— however  that  and  the  proposal  now  made  of  leaving  the  Island 
submit  to  your  superior  Judgement  to  determine  will  onh'  add — that 
there  never  could  be  a  more  favorable  opportunit\-  for  nw  being  received 
in  the  most  cordial  manner  amongst  them  than  at  this  juncture — having 
whilst  the}'  were  on  the  Island — made  grievous  complaints  (and  give 
me  leave  to  say  not  without  reason)  of  m\'  treatment  hv  the  Kings 
Troops — my  Property-  having  been  destro^•ed  or  taken  for  His  Majesty's 
Service — your  T',xcel]i-nc^'  ■will  therefore  take  the  whole  into  considera- 
Uon — and  return  me  an  AnsAver — as  soon  as  possible — bv  the  same 
conveyance  that  this  reaches  A'our  hands — should  your  Excellency  think 
it  not  expedient  for  me  to  leave  the  Island — but  tarr^•  on  it  this  Winter 
— 1  must  earnestly  intreat  \our  r",xce]]enc\'  would  give  Orders — to  who 
ever  may  be  the  Comm'"  in  Chief  of  the  Troops  on  Rhode  Island — 
that  my  Person  and  Property'  mav  be  protected  from  Insults — and  that 
I  may  be  allowed  some  recompence  for  mv  Property  which  has  been 
wantonly  destroyed  or  taken  from  me  into  His  Majesty's  Service — my 
House   and   Garden  on   the   Hill    in   the  Town   of  Newport — has  been 


METCALI''  BOWLER  AS  A  BRITISH  SPY  IO5 

taken  out  of  my  possesion  and  converted  into  an  Hospital  for  the  use 
of  His  Majesty's  43''  Regm* — nigh  eigteen  months  ago — m\'  Farm 
where  on  I  dwell — ib  an  entire  Waste — having  had  an  Incampment  on 
it  for  this  two  rears  past — not  a  rail  left  nor  single  Fence  on  the  whole 
Farm — that  have  not  been  able  to  raise  the  least  produce  for  the  sup- 
port of  m\'  Famih" — sa\ing  what  Sauce  mv  Garden  produced — my  only 
Cow  the  support  of  n\v  Children — most  wantonly  Butcherd  since  the 
Provincials  quitted  the  Island — my  Library  plunderd  of  Sixty  odd 
\'olumes — m\'  Three  Horses  iSc  Colt  on  my  Farm  with  my  Cart — taken 
from  me  into  the  Kings  Service — and  altho  the  Qu^'  M*"  Gen"  issued 
an  Advertisement  that  ever\'  Inhabittant  should  come  and  receive  his 
Propert\'  that  was  taken  from  him — notwithstanding  repeated  applica- 
tions have  not  been  able  to  procure  the  return  of  either  Horses  or  Cart 
or  an\'  satisfaction — in  short  such  has  been  the  severe  treatment  I  have 
met  with  of  late — that  am  almost  discouraged — and  without  some 
alleviations  or  assistance — I  shall  not  be  able  to  support  my  self  and 
famih'  on  the  Island — throo'  the  approaching — dismal  dreary  Winter — 
I  have  recapitulated  m\'  Distrest  Circumstances  not  doubting  you  will 
take  them  into  consideration  and  from  your  wonted  Goodness  and 
Humanitv — \ou  wili  commisserate  m\"  ver\"  unhappy  condition — and 
order  me  some  Redress — in  such  manner  as  shall  be  most  agreeable  to 
A'our  Excellency — should  I  be  permitted  to  leave  the  Island  doubt  not 
you  will  order  a  Flag  to  be  procured  to  transport  my  family  Furniture  & 
and  one  Black  Servant  I  have  with  me  which  is  the  only  help  we  have 
to  do  family  business — I  would  mention  one  circumstance  which  had 
like  to  have  slipp'd  mv  Memmorv — and  for  which  have  like  to  have  been 
brought  onto  trouble — \<)ur  ]'",\cellenc^'  remembers  when  you  took  the 
Papers  from  me  two  \ears  ago  almost — I  inform'd  I  had  some  Paper 
Money  m\'  own  Propert\- — which  \ou  was  kind  enough  to  say  I  might 
keep — when  the  Provincials  was  on  the  Island — having  not  a  pair  Oxen 
on  my  Farm  to  Cart  Wood  or  Plough  the  Ground — meeting  with  a 
Farmer  who  came  on  with  a  Load  of  Flour  for  the  Provincials  and  was 
discharged  by  them — and  going  home  on  the  NLain — I  tempted  the  Man 
with  a  large  Price  in  Paper  Money  for  his  Oxen  &  Cart — and  pur- 
chasd  them  with  the  Monev  vou  was  so  kind  as  to  leave  me — for  my  own 
and  His  Majesty's  Service  took  a  receipt  for  the  Mone\" — and  made 
report    thereof   to   the    first    Kings  OfHcer    I    saw — after   the    Provincials 


I06  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

retreated  S""  Robert  Pigot  threatens  to  take  them  from  me  as  Rebell 
Property  in  expectation  of  hearing  from  you  I  remain  v''  most  obd*^  hubJe 
Servt  Rusticus 

His  Excellency  Sir  Henrv  Clinton 


October  v<^  22*^  1778 
Sir 

Your  favor  in  answer  to  mine  of  v*^  1  5th  Sep''  this  receiv'd  by  the 
hands  of  Cap'.  Savage — I  perceive  by  the  contents  I  have  your  per- 
mission to  go  to  the  Main  with  my  Family — onlv  }ou  have  mistaken 
the  Place  Connecticut  for  Providence- — as  I  have  no  manner  of  connec- 
tion in  Connecticut  Government — you  mention  mv  comeing  to  you 
at  New  York — to  settle  some  affairs —  before  mv  departure  for  Provi- 
dence— what  ever  Commands  you  may  have  for  me  to  execute — must 
be  transmitted  me  here — throo'  the  channell  of  Capt  Savage  for  should 
I  attempt  going  to  New  York — or  was  it  onlv  surmised  I  purposed 
such  a  thing — I  should  never  be  admitted  to  return  amongst  the  Pro- 
vincials— you  will  be  pleas'd  therefore  to  reconsider  that  matter — and 
give  me  your  permission  if  vou  iudge  it  to  be  necessary  for  me  to  take 
my  departure  with  my  Family — directly  from  this  Place — and  permit 
me  to  have  a  Flag  to  take  me  my  Furniture  and  Family  on  board  from 
near  my  own  own  shoar — as  it  will  save  the  expence  of  carting  my  Furni- 
ture &c  to  Newport — not  hearing  from  you  of  some  considerable  time — 
had  almost  determined  to  try  to  tarry  out  the  Winter  on  the  Island — 
and  been  makeing  the  necessary  provision  oi  Fuel  &c — however  if 
you  judge  it  expedient  for  mc  to  leave  the  Island  this  Fall — and 
repair  to  Providence  with  my  Family — on  receiving  \our  Commands 
shall  instantly  obey- — and  if  all  be  makeing  the  necessary  preparations 
for  my  embarkation  in  expectation  of  receiving  your  further  Com- 
mands as  soon  as  possible — voull  please  to  be  as  explicit  as  you  can  in 
your  Instructions  and  you  shall  find  them  fullftl'd  as  far  as  lies  in  my 
Power — you  will  not  forget  to  order  me  the — necessary — without  some 
of  which  shall  cut  but  a  despicable  Figure — I  must  entreat  your  Excel- 
lency would  keep  the  whole  that  passes  between  us  in  vour  own  breast — 
for  should  it  ever  come  to  the  Provincials  knowledge — of  my  Cor- 
respondance    nothing    short   of   my    Life — would    pay    the    Forfeit — in 


METCALF  BOWLER  AS  A  BRITISH  SPY  IO7 

expectation  of  liearing   from  you   bv  first  oppertunity — I    remain 

With  great  esteem  and  regard 
y^  Excellency's  most  obed'  Serv' 

H-    T?       11  /^      11  ^^r    .  Rusticus 

IS  hxcellency  Cjen"  Clinton 

I  receivd  yours  and  shall  endeavour  to  comply  with  the  request  if 
possible — strict  orders  having  been  given  out  for  searching  Man  Woman 
and  Child  going  down  or  comeing  from  Newport — however  have  got 
Mrs.  Moody  to  take  charge  of  this  and  hope  it  will  reach  your  hands 
in  safety  the  most  material  news  prevailing  is  the  capture  of  the  Georgia 
Fleet  which  youll  perceive  by  the  news  papers  that  have  sent  my 
daughter  and  its  confidently  whispered  that  a  Fleet  of  Twelve  Sail  of 
the  Line  with  Five  Frigates  French  &  Spaniards  where  to  sail  from 
Brest  for  North  xAmerica  in  a  short  time  after  the  Cutter  that  arriv'd 
from  France  and  its  taulked  when  the  Fleet  arrives  another  attack  will 
be  made  in  Rhode  Island — however  there  is  no  sign  of  any — prepara- 
tions going  forward  here  as  yet  on  the  contrary  they  are  strongly  forti- 
fying the  Town  and  Huntingtons  Regiment  is  under  orders  from  New 
London  for  this  place  I  believe  the  proposals  said  to  be  made  for  peace 
through  the  medium  of  the  Court  of  Spain — would  be  accepted  [torn] 
not  [for  the  claim  of  |  *  the  whole  of  the  newfoundland  fishery  being 
claimed  as  a  teritorial  diminion  however  the  people  in  general  are 
heartily  sick  of  the  War  and  if  not  soon  over  the  horrid  depreciation  of 
their  currency  added  to  their  internal  distresses  of  their  avarciousness  in 
devouring  one  another  must  in  the  end  finah" — reduce  them  to  sue 
for  peace — should  there  be  nothing  ver\-  matieral  turn  up  before  the 
1st  May  shall  hardly  dare  to  venture  writeing  again  without  I  see  my 
way  perfectly  clear — as  your  not  sensible  of  the  great  danger  I  expose 
my  self  and  family  to  and  after  the  charge  I  have  paid  for  the  Flag 
carting  my  Goods  to  Newport  and  the  great  damage  done  m\'  Furni- 
ture shall  even  be  out  of  pocket  and  house  hardh'  an}'  thing  left  for 
the  support  and  maintaineance  of  mv  family  my-Daughter  being  left 
behind  has  caused  great  suspiscion  here  and  1  am  rather  watch'd  with 
a  jealous  eye — and  as  surely  as  caught  in  any  correspondence  no  mercy 
will  be  extended — however  shall  yet  remain  friendly  disposed  tho  have 
been  90  sever]\'  handled  at  Newport  farewell  yrs.  S.  H. 


'■"Tliis   pluasf  lias  been  crossed  out. 


I08  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Providence  April  2  5th   1779 

mv  trunk  and  Mrs.  Bakers  when  brought  up  to  this  town  under  whent 
the  most  strictest  examination  eving  to  information  being  receivd  she 
brought  of  a  large  parcell  of  counterfeit  paper  money — but  their  search 
proved  abortive  nothing  being-found  in  her  or  my  trunks  and  she  having 
been  gone  down  to  Boston  some  day  before  in  the  Stage  Coach. 

In  addition  to  what  was  wrote  last — an  express  arriv'd  from  Con- 
gress this  week  and  the  Brigade  stationed  in  this  Town  are  now  [torn] 
marching  orders — and  its  said  an  expedition  is  on  foot  against  Canada — 
[torn]  Genl  Sullivan  is  to  have  the  Chief  Command — that  a  French 
Fleet  is  expect  [ed  to]  join  them  up  the  River  St.  Laurence  by  the 
latter  end  of  this  month  at  fart  [her  pt.]  its  rumor'd  all  three  of  the 
Brigades  in  this  Vicinity  are  to  hold  them-selves  in  readiness  to  march 
at  an  Hours  notice — however  they  will  not  stir  until  they  receive 
their  back  wages  due  to  them  which  are  deficient  above  six  months 
they  are  ordered  to  be  paid  up  to  this  date — but  no  Paper  money  yet 
arrivVl  all  their  public  offices  are  destitute  of  even  the  Paper  trash  this 
causes  great  murmurings  (however  the  taulk  is)  the  expedition  is 
against  Canada. — 1  am  apt  to  think  from  the  orders  issu'd  and  car- 
penters procurd  and  sent  off — for  to  repair  all  the  flatt  bottom  boats 
in  the  different  parts  of  this  and  also  the  neighboring  States  that  the 
expedition  on  foot  most  probable  will  be  against  Rhode  Island  and  that 
thev  are  in  expect;.tion  of  a  French  Fleet  to  arrive  on  this  Coast  the 
latter  end  of  the  Month  but  its  only  m}'  own  conjecture  I  know  nothing 
for  certain — Congress  has  certainly  empowered  their  Ambasadors  at 
the  Court  of  France  to  treat  with  the  Court  of  Great  Britian  on  Terms 
of  Peace  which  are  to  be  Negotiated  through  the  Medium  of  the 
Spanish  Ambasador  1  am  now  running  the  grandest  risque  possible 
and  pledging  mv  Life  at  stake,  and  for  what  a  paltry  pittance,  that  has 
been  more  than  expended  in  the  transportation  of  my  family  and  effects, 
and  all  promises  made  me  been  violated — without  something  handsome 
is  done  soon,  to  make  me  compensation,  and  encourage  me  to  persevere, 
vou  must  not  expect  to  hear  further  from  me — as  I  think  I  have  dis- 
charged mv  promise,  made  punctualy,  and  cannot  think  of  jeapordising 
mv  self  and  familv  anymore — tho  shall  never  do  any  thing  prejudicial 
to  government,  -vou  mav  rely  on,  but  keep  my  self  a  strick  neuter,  until 


METCALF  nOWr.KR  AS  A   BRITISH   SPY  lOQ 

affairs  arc  settled.  I  might  have  been  commissars  General,  of  this  depart- 
ment but  absoluteh-refused  intermedling  with  any  office — the  stricktest 
search  is  made  off  every  person  going  down  or  comeing  up  from  New- 
port— then  should  \ou  send  an\-  message  or  any  thing  }'ou  must  be 
cxtreemh'  carefull  and  c.uitious. 

Providence  May   11th   1779        S.  H. 

Providence  [une  5th  1779 
Altho'  I  said  in  iv.v  last  vou  must  not  expect  to  hear  from  me  again — 
until  some  thing  handsome  was  further  done  having  as  I  before  observed 
expended  the  whole  gratuity  in  removeing  my  family  Sec.  contrary  to 
mv  expectation  and  the  strongest  assurances  given  \'et  as  \ou  seem 
desirous  of  hearing  from  me,  cannot  resist  my  strong  inclination,  to 
serve  ni\'  Friends — especiah'  as  I  am  assured  the  con\"e\'ancc  will  be 
safe — nothing  verv  material  his  turnVl  up  since  I  wrote  last  only  the 
intended  expedition  seems  to  be  entirely  dropt  at  present,  and  we  are 
as  I  think  onh'  on  the  defensive — altho'  the  G.  G.  is  in  great  expecta- 
tion of  the  arrivel  of  a  trench  fleet  on  the  coast  hourh',  and  is  abso- 
luteh  makeing  the  necessar\'  preparations,  tor  a  desent  on  the  Island, 
should  the\'  arrive — ever\'  Boat  is  in  readiness,  the  Waggons  all  pre- 
pared— and  Thirty  Men  working  every  day  in  the  Labratory,  make- 
ing cartridges,  and  other  necessar\'  warlike  stores — the  Militia  all  round, 
are  order'd  to  be  in  readiness,  with  three  days  Provisions  readv  cook'd, 
and  boats  sent  out  to  discover  tiie  Fleet,  and  gi\'e  the  ver^-earliest 
intelligence,  should  thcv  arrive  on  the  coast — notwithstanding  all  this 
militar\'  preparation — I  am  sure,  the-v  ha\'e  no  other  foundation  for  the 
expectation  of  a  Fleet — than  barel\'  what  one  Lt  De\'ilicrs  who  was 
Capt  of  Marines  on  board  tlie  Dean  Frigate,  that  arrivd  some  time  ago 
in  the  Ri\"er  Delaware  from  Martinico  Avho  sa\'s  that  he  dined  on 
board  the  Languedoc — and  that  Count  De  Kstaing  told  him — he  might 
inform  the  americans  he  should  be  in  their  Seas  hv  the  tenth  day  of 
June  at  farthest — 1  think  the\'  seem  now  rather  apprehensive  of  a 
\'isit  from  \()u — as  the  Brigade  stationed  in  this  Town  which  does  not 
exceed  1000  effective  men — lay  on  their  arms  several  nights  past  they 
are  encamped  on  the  Hill  abo\"e  Mr.  Snow's  Meeting  House 
I  ha\e  lateU'  made  a  tour  Ui  Boston,  and  was  there  durring  their  Genii 
Election — I    find   the  people   much    divided   every  one  wishing   an   end 


no  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

of  the  contest,  and  dcpriciating  the  first  Authors  of  their  Miscrv — 
in  short   their  Currency   is  becomeing   such  vile  trash,  that   thev  value 

it  not  more,  than  the  dirt  under  their  feet all  the  trade  carried   on, 

is  meer  chicanery,  or  a  knavery,  not  an  upright  honest  trader,  to  he 
found  amongst  them — I  myself  exchanged  Dollars  as  twentv  five  for 
one — and  indeed,  the;/  withheld,  their  most  valuable  comodities  and 
would  not  dispose  of  them  for  the  paper  trash — between  the  Farmer 
and  the  Merchant  the  poor  people  are  squees'd  to  Death — everv  neces- 
sary article  of  life  is  about  fifty  p  Cent  dearer,  than  here,  with  us — 
I  heard  many  that  were  high  Sons  of  Liberty  formerly  sav — that  was  a 
B.  fleet  to  appear  and  Blockade  the  Harbor, — and  a  land  force  lav  Siege 
to  the  Town — not  an  hundred  Inhabittants  would  go  out — for  thev 
had  rather  submit  to  B.  Government,  than  be  oppressed  in  the  manner 
they  now  are — I  saw  many  Friends,  who  are  vet  there,  and  seem  to 
keep  up  their  spirit,  in  hopes  of  deliverance,  in  due  time — there  are 
no  Continental  Troops  in  Boston  at  present  nor  in  its  environs  save  a 
few  Invalids,  and  G.  Heath  who  commands  in  that — department 
has  just  received  orders,  to  repair  to  G.  Washintons  Camp — we  have 
here — Glovers  Brigade  Consistg  of  about  1000  eltective  Men  Cornells 
Brigade  which  is  small,  at  Tiverton,  and  its  environs — \'arnums  Bri- 
gade, which  is  but  very  small — Sherburnes  Regmt  at  Bristol  and  Warren 
— a  Regiment  at  Greenwich  South  Kingston  and  along  that  shoar — a 
company  or  two  of  y*"  Black  Corps  are — stationed  at  Warwick  Neck, 
and  its  environs — 1  only  give  this  information  of  their  station  of  the 
Troops,  from  what  1  have  collected,  having  never  seen  them  mv  self— 
but  am  thouroughly  convinced,  thev  cant  raise  on  an  alarm,  for  some 
very  considerable  time,  above  2000  effective  men — the  Train  of  Artil- 
lery— which  are  in  this  Town,  and  perhaps  make  amot  to  about  300 
effective  Men  last  week  our  Govr  receiv'd  a  Let''  from  G.  Washington 
pressing  the  sending  forward  the  States  quota  of  Troops,  which  thev  haci 
voted  to  raise,  and  at  the  same  time  informing  them,  their  affairs,  wore  a 
gloomy  aspect,  and  that  he  had  received-certain  intelligence  that  the  B. 
Army  would  be  reinforced,  with  10,000  men  from  G.  Britain,  to  acct 
offensively,  this  Campaign — that  there  cfid  not  appear  the  least  pros- 
pect of  an  accomodation,  taking  place  and  without  his  Army  was 
speedih"  reinforced,  he  must  quit  the  Field,  this  Let''  is  kept  as  a  great 
secreet,  but  I  got  the  intelligence,  from  one  of  the  Govts  family — Con- 


IMl/n  AIJ-"  BdWI.KR  AS  A   BRITISH    SPY  Hi 

grcss  have  been  sitting  this  Three  Months,  to  stop  the  depreciation 
of  the  Currency,  but  having  at  length  got  as  far  as  the  rule  of  Puzzle 
have  given  over  the  attempting  any  remedy,  better  than  taxation — 
and  have  ordered,  that  Forty  Five  Million  of  Dollars,  be  called  in  bv  a 
Tax,  on  the  States  by  the  hrst  day  January  1  780, — which  in  my  oppinion, 
instedd  of  helping  the  great  depreciation,  will  serve  to  depreciate  it 
still  lower — no  Persons  of  any  Consequence,  seems  inclined,  to  inter- 
feer  in  Government  affairs — Governmnt  is  at  present  conducted,  by  a  set 
of  low,  ignorant,  headstrong  Men — I  have  been  stronglv  solicited,  to 
except  several  posts,  but  have  declin'd  them — thinking  I  can  at  present 
do  much  more  service  in  a  private  station,  than  a  public. — I  keep  Shop 
for  a  Li\'elyhood. — tho  had  but  few  Goods  to  sell  every  European 
Article  being  so  very  scarce  here,  and  estravegantly  dear  therefore  at 
present,  confine  my  self,  to  the  West  India  Produce — G.  G.  has  swore 
the  first  person  he  catches,  conveying  intelligence,  he  will  directly  hang 
up. — therefore  think  what  violent  risque  I  run,  and  tremble  every- 
moment,  at  the  consequence,  of  a  discovery — however  I  flatter  1  shall 
not  fail  of  a  Reward  hereafter,  adieu  Y  P  S: 

S.  H. 

I  wrote  vou  some  time  ago  giving  \'ou  a  full  account  of  affairs  as  they 
stood  then — Since  which  have  not  heard  anv  thing  from  \'ou — tho 
trust  your  generosity — since  which  the  Brigade  statiend  in  this  Town 
marchd  last  week  and  are  halted  at  New  London  we  have  here  onlv 
Jacksons  small  Regiment  and  they  came  from  Patuxet — they  are 
under  great  consternation  for  fear  of  an  attack  as  am  confident  there 
could  not  be  1000  etTective  men  raisd  under  some  very  considerable 
time — and  \ery  few  of  the  inhabitants  would  turn  out — and  much 
more  dificulty  to  bring  in  the  Cunty  People — who  are  now  in  the 
higth  of  harvest — if  ever  strike  whilst  the  Iron  is  Hot — I  cant  learn 
of  only  two  Brigades  of  continental  troops  in  all  Connecticut  and  one 
is  that  march'd  from  this  place — but  verv  few  of  the  train  of  artilery 
is  here  at  present — and  the\'  are  in  no  manner  prepar'd  for  an  attack — 
there  is  taulk  of  calling  in  1000  Militia  from  the  Massachusets — how 
soon  they  mav  arrl\e  cant  tell — the  great  news  from  the  Southward 
of  the  defeat  before  Charlestown  proves  premature  there  acctualy  having 
been    no   attack   on    the    Lines — but    il    K — ^-   Troops  are    in   possession 


112  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

of  Fort  Johnston  and  command  Ashlc}'  River — tho  it  still  reported 
the  G.  Moultrie  whent  out  and  attacked  and  kill'd  and  took  7  5  3.  tho 
believe  it  wants  much  confirmation — thev  are  extreemlv  jealous  of  me 
of  late  and  seem  ver\'  sh\' — as  I  dont  solicit  any  favours  nor  accept  of 
anv — offers  thev  make  of  Posts  in  Government  under  them — and  they 
industriouslv  circulate  mv  D"".  is  maried  to  a  B.  officer — I  do  assure 
you  I  run  the  most  violent  risques  imaginable  and  shudder  at  the  con- 
sequences of  a  discover\'  whilst  1  write  there  is  a  Gentry  placed  on 
the  greet  Bridge  to  stop  all  transient  persons  that  passes  and  cant  give 
a  good  account  of  themselves  and  carries  them  immedietely  before 
G.  G.  I  shall  be  under  the  greatest  terror  until  I  hear  the  Bearer 
has  reached  home — as  he  is  suspected  and  1  believe  is  now  under  Bonds 
— I  beg  shouki  \ou  send  or  write  it  ma}'  be  done  with  the  utmost 
caution  all  the  Prisoners  here  are  sent  down  to  Boston  for  safety — I 
dont  think  the  Scheem  thei'  have  undertaken  to  help  the  depreciation 
of  their  currenc\'  will  succed  as  the  country-people  will  not  come  into 
the  measure  proposed — but  vet  keep  up  their  produce  at  a  most  enormous 
price — their  seems  to  be  a  gloom  on  the  countenance  of  the  great 
folks — and  the\'  in\ent  h"es  to  Keep  up  the  spirit  of  the  lower  sort  tho 
the\'  begin  to  see  tli  rough  the  deception  and  sa}'  the} -will  not  risque 
their  lives  to  save  opulent  mens  estates — the  inlistments  here  of  troops 
goes  on  \  er\"  slow  indeed  there  is  a  new  Corps  raising  to  consist  of 
200  men  under  the  command  of  Col.  Bart(jn  to  acct  as  a  H}ing  Armv 
to  range  and  harrass  on  vour  shoare  on  the  Island  (i — but  tho 
great  bounty'  is  gi\"en  the^"  inlist  verv  slow — I  am  afraid  I  shall  not 
venture  to  let  \'ou  hear  much  more  from  me  without  some  alteration 
of  times — and  exceeding  anxious  wither  these  reaches  }'our  hands  if  it 
should  not  \ou  ma\'  expect  to  hear  of  m}'  sad  fate — farewell 
P  July  13th  1779  S.  H. 

Since  m\  last,  made  a  iourne\-  to  bosten,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  being 
in  compan\-  with  man^■  well  Avishers,  found  that  province  in  a  very 
weak  and  defenceless  state,  without  an}-  troops,  save  a  few  invalids — 
the  castle  and  other  fortifications,  much  out  of  repair  and  neglected — 
especiallv  that  part  of  the  castle,  tov.-ards  the  land,  in  a  weeak  condition. 
— no  soldjers  kept  to  garrison  the  castle  onl}  a  few  invalids,  to  hoist 
the  colours,  and  do  other  drudger}- — whilst  1  was  at  Boston,  there  was 


MKTCALF  Bfnvr.F.R  AS  A   BRITISH   SPY  II3 

an  alarm  tircJ  lor  four  ships,  being  in  the  offing,  niakeing  for  the 
harbor,  which  throw'J  the  inhabitants,  into  great  consternation,  expect- 
ing them  to  prove,  the  enemys  shipt,  many  taulked  of  leaving  the 
town. — others,  of  ralhing  the  militia,  and  collecting  what  numbers 
the\"  could  to  go  down,  and  help  defend,  the  castle  lic  but  at  length, 
the\'  proved  to  be,  two  of  their  own  cont'.  frigates,  with  two  english 
packets  their  prizes — it  was  the  general  oppinion,  of  thinking  people, 
that  the  same  fleet — that  was  sent  as  a  reinforcement,  to  penobscot, 
might  with  great  ease,  have  enter'd  the  harbor  of  boston,  taken  posses- 
sion of  the  town  ckc — in  such  a  defenceless  condition,  were  they  then  in, 
no  ships,  no  troops,  nor  men,  to  defend  their  fortifications.  I  left  four 
cont'.  frigates  m  the  iiarbor  iust  returned,  from  successful  cruises,  and 
of  consequence — man'd,  and  King  at  the  wharfs,  and  dock  wards,  to 
refit,  for  sea,  which  wont  be  of  some  time,  as  the  sailors  are  a  shore, 
spending  their  prize  money,  and  some  of  their  Capt*  gone  home,  to 
see  their  familys — there  was  also — a  french  frigate,  in  the  harbor,  in 
readiness,  to  receive  mons''  Gerrard,  and  convey  him  to  France,  the 
new  ambasd''  having  set  out  for  philads  to  relieve  him — in  short,  no 
thing  seems  attended  to,  in  that  province,  but  accumulating,  paper  thash 
good  eating — drinking,  and  fareing  sumptuosh",  e\'er\'  da\' — and  as  to 
their  defence,  the}'  seem,  much  to  trust,  (to  Heaven  for  their  safet\-  and 
protection)  they  are  most  amazingly  chagrin'd  at  their  late  penobscot 
expedt" — and  e\"en  sa\',  that  Rivington,in  his  relation  of  the  affair,  cannot 
exagerrate,  provided,  he  dont  sa\',  all  their  troops,  were  captur'd — as  to 
the  late  stipulation  enterd  into,  concerning  the  reducing  of  the  prices  of 
provisions  and  other  articles,  and  endea\oring  to  appreciate  their  cur- 
rency, am  thorroughh'  convinced,  will  never  have,  the  desired  effect,  as 
the  countr\'  are  ver\'  slack,  in  bringing  in  an\'  sorts  of  provision,  their 
markets,  very  badh'  supplied,  and  every  art  used  and  method  prac- 
tised, b\'  the  countr\'  people,  to  e\"ade  the  stipulation,  and  as  those 
that  are  posses'd,  of  large  sums  of  paper  currenc\'  will  fare  well  if  to 
be  procured,  at  an\"  rate — so  the\'  send  their  serxants  into  y*^  country, 
purchase  at  the  stipulated  prices,  with  the  addition  of  a  gratuity — the 
mercantile  part,  are  also  practising  every  method,  to  evade  the  stipula- 
tion, by  withholding  such  goods,  as  are  most  wanted,  and  such  articles,  as 
they  cant,  under  anv  pretense  withold,  they  even  addulterate,  or  prac- 
tise some  fraud  so  as   to  evade,  the  stipulated  price  of  those  articles. — 


114  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

the  Colony  of  Connecticut,  not  as  yet  having-enterd  into  any  stipula- 
tions, are  feathering  their  nest,  by  purchasing  large  quantitvs,  of  west 
india  Goods,  Tea  &:c  from  the  merchts  in  Boston  and  in  order  to  induce 
them,  to  sell  them  large  quantities  at  a  time,  thev  give  a  gratutly,  over 
and  above  the  stipulated  prices — was  informed,  there  had  not  been  less, 
than  four  thousand  wagon  loads,  of  west  india  produce,  carried  out  of 
Boston,  into  Connecticut,  since  the  stipulation,  took  place — the  exchange 
as  nigh  as  I  could  learn,  was  from  1  5  to  20  for  one  at  present, but  expected 
to  be  much  higher,  in  a  few  months,  as  congress  keeps  the  Press  con- 
tinualy  strikeing — they  emitted  one  week  in  July  no  less  than  fifteen 
million  of  Dollars,  therefore,  should  thev  be  left  to  themselves,  they 
must  sink  under  their  enormous,  continental  debt,  or  their  paper  cur- 
rency become  of  no  value  and  die  in  the  possessor's  hands  and  so  pro- 
duce a  general  bankruptcy,  you  may  easily  perceive  what  small  hopes 
they  have  of  the  appreciation  of  their  currenc\',  or  of  the  present  stipula- 
tion, takeing  place,  long — and  should  their  currency  not  be  made 
better,  before  the  time  of  the  continental  soldjers  enlistments  expire, 
which  will  be  in  the  Months  of  Nov""  and  Decembe''  next — they  never 
will  get  a  thousand  men  to  re-mlist  as  I  am  well  assurr'd,  they  will 
place  no  more  implicit  faith,  in  that  reverend  bod\',  the  Congress-wood 
is  extreemlv  scarce  and  dear  at  Boston,  no  less  than  one  hundred  Dollars 
p  Cord — on  my  arrival  at  Providence — found  a  prevailing  report,  of 
Count  D'Estang  being  bound  to  North  America  with  a  large  squadron 
of  line  battle  ships  and  frigates,  with  six  thousand  land  forces,  onboard 
the  fleet,  and  that  a  Sloop  left  theni,  that  arriv'd  at  Bedford  in  Latd.25 
Longtd  70  steering  N.  N.  W.  their  destination  a  profund  secreet,  only 
by  their  takeing  on  board  N.  E.  Pilots,  and  others  well  accquainted, 
with  the  Carolina  Coast,  they  were  judged,  to  be  first  bound,  to  Georgia, 
and  to  secur  the  whole  N.  E.  Coast — Gen.  G.  seemd  much  to 
credit  the  report,  and  in  consequence  gave  orders  for  all  the  flatt-bottom 
boats,  to  be  got  in  readiness,  the  wagons,  in  order,  the  train  of  artillery 
to  hold  themselves,  in  readiness  to  march  at  an  hours  warning — Gen. 
Corn,  troops  to  be  emplovd  in  cutting  fascines  and  the  saw-mills,  to  go 
night  and  day,  to  saw  plank  for  platforms  &:c  however,  its  now  nigh 
thirty  days,  since  this  Sloop  arrivd  and  no  further  intelligence  receiv'd, 
of,  the  fleet  being  spoke  with,  or  seen,  any  further  to  the  northward, 
therefore,    imagind    they   are   gone   to   windward,   or   were    never   seen 


METCALF  BOWLKR  AS  A   BRITISH    SPY  II5 

at  all,  as  reported — however,  should  any  authentick  intelligence  come 
to  hand,  concerning  them,  before  this  is  calld  for,  you  may  depend,  on 
being  duly  inform'd  thereof — I  must  once  more  mention,  the  critical 
situation,  to  which  I  am  continualy  expos'd  in  keeping  up  this  fre- 
quent correspondance  lor  should  it  once  ht  discover'd,  nothing  short 
of  mv  Life,  and  the  utter  ruin  ot  mv  Famih"  must  ensue.  I  have  dis- 
engaged m\"  self  and  refused,  several  lucrutative  emplo\'ments  which 
have  been  rcpeatedh'  otferd  me,  as  I  think  it  best  at  this  juncture, 
to  be  in  a  private  statien,  by  which  must  have  avoided,  their  test-acct, 
and  am  freer,  from  being  suspected  of  holding  any  correspondence  and 
am  on  good  terms,  with  Gen.  G.  to,  I  receiv'd  by  the  last  Flag  sundry 
articles,  for  which,  you  have  mv  thanks,  and  prov'd  ver\-  agreeable,  as 
do  assure  \'ou,  I  am  at  great  expence  to  support  m\'  famih',  and  hardlv 
any  thing  to  do  it  with,  but  what  little  I  get,  in  the  shop  keeping  way, 
and  my  capital  is  so  small,  that  can  purchase,  but  few  articles,  to  run 
my  Shop,  could  I  now  and  then,  get  a  supply  from  Newport  it  would 
assist  me  greatly,  and  should  gratefuh-acknowledge  the  favor — per- 
haps Mr^.  Bowler  may  be  permitted  soon  to  come  down  to  see  her 
Mother 

Providence  Sep''  15th  1779  S.  H. 


Providence  October  2d   1779 

should  an  open  Letter  come  otT  from  her  Sister,  M.  Gee  or  my  Daughter, 
in  forming  of  her,  being  in  a  bad  state  of  health  and  desirous,  of  see- 
ing her  Daughter — but  since  I  wrote — have  been  lucky  enough,  to  obtain 
leave,  from  Gen.  G.  for  my  Daughter  if  agreeable  to  your  self,  and  Gen. 
Prescot — to  pay  me  a  \'isit  here,  with  his  solemn  assurrance,  of  her  having 
liberty  of  returning — when  ever  she  inclines — should  you  think  it 
adviseable  to  let  her  come,  the  sooner  the  better,  as  the  Weather,  will 
grown  cold  &  blustering — you  may  depend,  on  receiving  on  her  return, 
all  the  intelligence  possible,  and  should  she  come  off,  your  being  so 
kind,  as  to  make  a  small  addition  to  the  Goods,  all  ready  sent  of  a  few 
peices  of  blk  and  tailored   ribbons,  a   few  green  shoe  bindings  a   piece 

or  two  of  black  calamances,  one  or  two  dozen  more  blk 

Handkerchiefs,  a  piece  or  two  of  good  Cambrick,  a  few  packs  of  Pins 
and  some  colcxired   and  coarse   white  Threads  some  black  and  coloared 


Il6  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

sewing  Silks — a  small  assortment  of  cultcr^'  ware  in  Buckles  Penknivc 
&c — and  a  good  Case  Coat  cloak  that  is  camblet,  linn'd  with  bare,  then 
I  may  be  fit  in  the  cold  during  the  Winter  season,  to  pick  up,  intelli- 
gence now  am  to  inform  you  since  what  I  wrote,  on  the  other  sheet — 
we  have  had  various  reportes  of  a  french  fleet,  being  seen  off  being  at 
the  Hook — [torn]  as  where  so  sanguine  is  G.  G.  of  their  comeing  he 
has  sent  out  a  \'esse]l  to  look  for  them,  who  is  returned,  without  being 
able  to  see,  or  hear  anev  thing  from  them — and  there  is  no  manner  of 
any  certain  account  of  their  ha\'ing  been  seen,  since  thev  were  left  in 
Lat  2  5  Long  70  two  of  \'our  Anspach  Soldjers,  arrived  here,  last  eve- 
ning who  report,  }ou  have  recei\'ed  an  account  b^'  express  from  N.  York 
of  22  Sail  of  the  Line  being  of  the  Hook,  which  G.  G.  puts  much 
confidence  in — as  he  catches  at  everything  that  looks  like  their  comeing 
here,  to  the  northward — but  1  think  the'V'  will  not  be  here  this  Season 
at  least — for  am  well  assurd  G.  Wash,  nor  Cong-s  have  anv  advice  of 
their  intention  of  coming  to  X.  America  this  Fall — vesterdav,  amid 
Jacksons  Regiment  of  [torn]  Troops  from  Boston — thev  were  sent  to 
reinforce  our  People  at  Penobscot  but  were  too  late  and  are  just  returned, 
to  their  old  station,  in  this  Island  they  amount  to,  between  3  or  400 — 
and  serve  them,  we  have  onh'  5  00  militia,  with  a  few  artiler^• — all  the 
troops  are  under  marching  so  infatuated  is  G.  G.  about  the  french  fleet 
arriving  on  our  coast  the  States  are  got  almost  ripe,  to  quarrell  with  one 
another,  Massachusets  State,  has  prohibitted,  everv  sort  of  merchandize, 
and  pro\'isions  from  being  transported  b^'  Land,  into  an\'  other  of  the 
States,  &  Connecticut  is  purchasing  all  the  cattle,  on  the  borders  of 
our  State,  and  driving  them  into  theirs,  to  kill,  and  give  almost  any 
price — the  Country  People  dont  bring  in  anv  Provisions  scarcely,  nor 
any  Butter  Cheese  iS'c,  thus  we  are  almost  starving,  in  a  Land  of  Plenty, 
and  the  article  of  Wood,  is  also  very  scarce,  the  Country  People,  with- 
olding  it,  and  will  not  bring  in  Wood  at  the  stated  price — then  expect, 
we  shall  go  to  loggerheads — amongst  ourselves — I  think  this  Winter 
must  picture  a  Scene  of  the  utmost  Confussion,  should  things  not  take 
a  strange  alteration  as  the  Continental  Troops  time  of  inlistment  will 
expire  and  am  sure  thev  will  not  re-inlist,  as  they  money  now  stands — 
and  how  thev  can  make  it  better  cant  conceive,  thev  have  emitted  such 
quantity  and  the  Press,  still  kept  stiikeing  of  more,  to  supply  their 
demands  Col.  Barton's  Corps  fills  verv  slow,  he  has  not  above  sixty  men, 


WATF.RMARKS  OX   RHODE  ISLAND  PAPER 


117 


and  has  done  nothing  rcmarkahlc,  as  yet — the  Cont.  Frigates  in  Boston 
is  getting  ready  for  Sea,  and  an  embargo  laid,  to  mann  them  perhaps 
she  may  sail  in  three  or  four  weeks  time — but  believe  not  much  sooner. 

Biographic?  of  Metc;ilf  Bowler,  who  was  Chief  Justice  of  Rhode  IsLind  in  1776 
and  1777,  will  be  found  in  the  Record  of  the  Descendants  of  Charles  Hozcler  by  N.  P. 
Bowler;  The  Biographical  Cyclopedia  of  Rhode  Island,  p.  130;  Annals  of  Trinity 
Church,  Neuport,  by  Ooige  C.  Mason,  p.  107;  and  History  of  the  Narragansett 
Church  by  Wilkins  Updike,  1907,  v.  I,  p.  197.  The  panelling  from  one  of  the 
rooms  of  Metcalf  Bowler's  house  at  I'ortsmouth  is  now  in  the  American  Wing  of  the 
Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  at  New  ^'ork. 


Watermarks  on  Early  Rhode  Island  Paper 

On  March  25,  1  764,  articles  of  partnership  were  drawn 
up  and  signed  for  the  establishment  and  operation  of  a 
paper  mill  in  Rhode  Island,  The  principal  participants 
in  this  enterprize  were  Capt.  John  Waterman  the  printer, 
his  father-in-law,  Capt.  Jonathan  Olney,  Mr.  Jonathan 
Ballon  and  Mr.  William  Goddard,  the  printer. 

A  mill  was  built  on  the  Woonasquatucket  River  near 
the  present  01ne\\ille  and  the  manufacture  of  paper  began 
in  1765.  A  detailed  history  of  this  and  subsequent  Provi- 
dence paper  mills  appears  in  the  Americana  Collector  for 
May,  1926. 


fHO^IPEM 


WATERMARK    USED   BY    JOHN 
WATERMAN   ON    PAPER   MADE   IN    1766. 


John  Waterman,  who  operated  the  paper  mill  at  Ohiey- 
ville  used  as  a  watermark  the  word  PROMDKNCE  as 
early  as  1  766.  This  watermark  appears  on  the  paper  of 
many  issues  of  the  Providence  Gazette.  The  Waterman 
paper  mill  e\entuall\'  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Obiey 


ii8 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


family.    As  early  as   1788,  Christopher  Olnev  used  the 
watermark  C.  OLNEY. 


CHRISTOPHER    OLNEY  S    WATER- 
MARK,  ABOUT    1788 

On  paper  made  a  few  years  later,  the  device  of  the 
state's  arms,  the  foul  anchor  on  a  shield  with  the  initials 
C.  C.  O.  for  Christopher  C.  Olney  was  used  as  a  water- 
mark. The  date  of  the  use  of  this  watermark  has  not  been 
definitely  determined. 


WATERMARKS   USED   BY    CHRISTOPHER    C.    OLNEY 


Samuel  Thurber,  junior,  and  Martin  Thurber  estab- 
lished a  paper  mill  in  Providence  in  1780,  on  the  banks 


WATERMARKS  OX   RHODE   ISLAND  TAPER 


119 


of  the  Moshassuck  River  near  the  North  Burial  Ground. 
As  early  as  1  791,  the  Thurbers  were  using  as  a  watermark 
a  foul  anchor  (without  any  stock)  and  not  enclosed  in 


WATERMARKS   USED    BY   SAMUEL   THURBER   &    CO. 


a  shield  but  with  the  initials  S.  T.  &  C.  In  1797,  another 
watermark,  a  foul  anchor  not  enclosed  in  a  shield,  makes 
its  appearance  on  Rhode  Island  paper. 

Specimens  of  paper  bearing  all  of  these  w^atermarks 
are  on  file  at  the  library  of  the  Rhode  Island  Historical 
Society. 


AN     LTNIDEN'I  IFIED     RHODE      ISLAND 
WATERMARK  OF  ABOUT    1  797. 


120  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Thomas  James 

One  of  the  thirteen  original  proprietors  of  Providence. 

Austin  in  his  Genealogica]  Dictionary  of  Rhode  Island 
(p.l  11  )  gives  a  very  scant  account  of  Thomas  James,  so 
it  has  been  deemed  advisable  to  print  a  fuller  account  of 
his  life. 

Thomas  James  was  born  in  1593  and  educated  at 
Emanuel  College,  Cambridge,  England,  where  he 
received  a  degree  in  1614.  He  preached  in  Lincolnshire 
and  came  to  New  England  in  1632,  in  the  ship  William 
and  Francis,  bringing  with  him  his  wife,  Elizabeth  and 
son,  Thomas.  He  became  the  hrst  settled  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  Church  at  Charlestown,  where  his  son 
John  was  baptized.  Owing  to  discord  in  the  church,  he 
was  dismissed  in  1636. 

James  was  a  physician  as  well  as  a  clergyman  and  came  to 
Providence  early  in  1637.  He  was  one  of  the  original 
thirteen  proprietors  of  Providence,  and  in  1638  attended, 
and  later  testified  in  the  fanious  case  of  the  Indian,  Peno- 
wanyanquis,  who  was  murdered  by  four  white  men. 

James  also  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church,  and  in  1639  was  Town  Treasurer,  and 
wrote  on  the  original  Indian  deed,  the  memorandum  of 
1639,  which  was  the  contested  point  in  the  Harris  land 
case  that  disturbed  the  courts  and  politics  of  the  colony 
for  almost  a  centur\'. 

On  March  20,  1640,  Thomas  James  sold  his  house  and 
land  in  Providence  to  William  Field  and  moved  away  to 
New  Haven.  In  1642,  he  was  one  of  the  three  ministers 
sent  on  a  special  mission  to  Virginia,  and  was  for  a  few 


THOMAS    lAMES 


121 


days  stormbound  at  Newport.  He  returned  froni  Virginia 
in  June,  1643,  to  New  Ha\'en,  where  he  resided  about  five 
years,  holding  xarious  offices. 

He  returned  to  England  before  1648,  and  became  pastor 
of  the  church  at  Needham,  but  was  ejected  from  that  office 
in  1662.   He  was  living  quietly  in  England  as  late  as  1678. 

William  Harris  described  Thomas  James  as  a  "man  of 
learning  and  wisdom."  Many  persons  in  New  England 
can  trace  then-  descent  from  Thomas  James. 


THE    fTKAMROAlS    MIANTONO.MI    AND    CA\  OXC  H  KT 

The  Miantonomi  was  built  in  1850,  and  the  Canonchct  was  built  in 
1851.  These  boats  plied  between  Providence  and  Warren.  See  article 
in  Providence  Evening  Btdletin,  April  25,  1877,  reprinted  in  the 
Ne-.cj^ort  Mercury,  :\^r\\  30,  1904. 

Fro}ii  nhi  print  in  the  Society's  Museii»t. 


122 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


oi    o 


o    t. 


Z    X 


t;iI)K()X    CASKV.   SIIAI-.KS.M  ITU 


123 


'^9 


?P()ON    MADE    BY  CIDICON    CASEV  OF    KINC.STOX,   R.   1. 

O'.tncd  by  Mn-.  M.ih.l  K.  Rogers. 


.~ 

W&SSi^ 

*        .  .*^ 

GIDEON     CASEY  S     MARK 


The  spoons  illustrated  above  bear  the  mark  of  Gideon 
Casey  of  South  Kingstown  '^'  brother  of  the  famous  Saniuel 
Casey.  The  mark,  G:  CASEY,  Roman  capitals  in  a  rec- 
tangle, is  that  recorded  in  the  Walpole  Society  List. 

Examples  of  Gideon  Casey's  work  are  rare,  a  fact  that 
would  substantiate  the  supposition  that  he  was  never  much 
more  than  an  assistant  to  his  brother,  despite  their  partner- 
ship together.  It  may  be  further  pointed  out  that  the 
spoons  under  consideration  are  identical  in  design  and 
size  with  spoons  bearing  the  niark  of  Samuel  Casey. 
Nevertheless  it  is  a  privilege  to  be  permitted,  through  the 
kindness  of  Mrs.  Mabel  K.  Rogers,  to  record  here  an 
example  which  can  be  dehniteh'  identified  as  bearing  his 
mark. 

William  Davis  Miller. 


"'  Vide  Rhode  Island  Historical  Sncifty  ColUclions,  Vol.  xxii,  p.   10?    (October, 
1929,  and   The  Silversmiths  of  Litth    Rrs!. 


124 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


CiOVERNOR    FENNER  S    CHAIR 

This  is  one  of  four  chairs  that  formerly  belonged  to  James  Fenner, 
Governor  of  Rhode  Island,  and  first  President  of  the  Rhode  Island 
Historical  Society. 

These  four  cliairs  zcere  recently  presented 
to  the  Society  by  Mr.  Henry  D.  Shjrpe. 


126  RHODF.  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Seventeenth  Century  Thimbles 

The  thimble  shown  at  the  right  in  the  illustration  on  the 
cover  of  this  issue  of  the  Collections  belonged  to  Esther 
Willett  or  Willitt,  daughter  of  Thomas  Willett,  the  first 
English  Mayor  of  New  York.  It  was  found  in  the  ruins 
of  Thomas  Willett's  house,  which  was  located  in  East 
Providence,  east  of  Riverside  on  the  old  main  road  to 
Warren.  When  Col.  H.  Anthony  Dyer  built  a  house 
around  the  old  Willett  chimney  some  years  ago,  one  of 
the  workmen  found  during  the  excavations  a  bent  and  flat- 
tened bit  of  silver.  Upon  straightening  out  this  piece  of 
silver  and  bending  it  back  into  shape,  it  was  found  to  be 
a  topless  silver  thimble  of  the  colonial  period  in  prac- 
tically perfect  condition.  Around  the  base  it  bears  the 
inscription  ESTHER  WILLITT,  the  name  of  its  former 
owner.  She  was  born  in  1648  and  was  married  on  January 
24,  1672,  so  that  the  inscription  must  have  been  cut 
between  these  dates  and  presumably  between  1662  and 
1672. 


ESTHER    WILLETT  S    THLMBLE 

The  other  side  of  this  thimble 
is  shown  on  the  cover  of  this  issue 
of  the  Collections. 

In  addition  to  the  usual  little  depressions  that  cover  a 
thimble,  this  one  is  ornamented  with  two  rather  crudely 
executed  designs.  On  one  side  there  is  a  flower,  perhaps 
a  daisy  or  a  sunflower  and  on  the  other  side  is  a  heart.  This 
thimble  was  undoubtedly  made  and  the  engraving  upon  it 
cut  in  America  previous  to  1672,  so  that  it  is  a  particularly 


NOTES  127 

interesting  piece  of  early  colonial  silverwork.  It  indi- 
cates what  sort  of  artistic  designs  appealed  to  seventeenth 
century  Americans.  The  flower  and  the  heart  are  both 
designs  which  are  often  found  engraved  on  personal  seals 
of  this  period.  Col.  Dyer  presented  to  the  Society  this 
choice  specimen  of  American  colonial  silver.  The  illus- 
tration on  the  cover  shows  one  side  of  the  thimble  and  the 
illustration  in  the  text  shows  the  other  side. 

The  other  two  thimbles  in  our  museum,  as  shown  in  the 
illustration  on  the  cover,  are  seventeenth  century  products, 
though  they  may  have  been  made  in  England.  One  is  a 
topless  thimble  like  the  Willett  one  and  the  other  is  a 
thimble  with  a  top,  of  the  more  familiar  modern  type. 
They  w^ere  found  in  the  grave  of  the  Indian  Squaw  Sachem 
Weunquesh,  who  died  about  1686.  They  were  her  per- 
sonal property,  doubtless  highly  prized  by  her,  and  were 
buried  with  her.  Weunquesh  was  the  daughter  and  suc- 
cessor of  Ninigret  and  was  ruler  of  the  Narragansett 
Indians  for  about  ten  years. 

Notes 

A  file  of  the  newspaper,  which  at  first  was  called  the 
Beulah  ItejnSy  later  the  BeulaJi  Christian  and  finally  the 
Pentacostal  Christian y  covering  the  period  from  1888  to 
1912,  has  been  presented  by  Mr.  F.  A.  Hillery,  who  was 
editor  of  this  publication. 

The  Society  has  also  been  fortunate  in  obtaining  some 
copies  of  the  Rhode  Island  Advocatey  a  newspaper  that 
was  published  at  Woonsocket,  in  18.'^5  and  1836. 

From  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  A.  Russell,  the  society  received 
copies  of  the  Independent^  for  May  1 3  and  May  18,1  844-, 
both  printed  on  cloth.  The  Independent  was  a  Prox'idence 
newspaper  which  on  these  two  dates  in  addition  to  the 
regular  edition  printed   on  paper,  also  issued  an  edition 


128  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIKTY 

printed  on  cloth.  The  first  part  of  the  trial  of  Thomas  W. 
Dorr  was  printed  in  the  issue  of  May  13  and  the  conclu- 
sion in  the  issue  of  May  18.  Apparently  in  order  ro  issue 
an  account  of  the  trial  in  what  would  seem  to  be  more 
permanent  form,  these  two  numbers  of  the  Independent 
were  issued  in  an  edition  printed  on  cloth.  The  Society 
had  a  copy  of  the  issue  of  May  1  8,  printed  on  silk,  and  it 
was  known  that  copies  of  this  issue  were  also  printed  on 
cotton  cloth.  The  copv  of  the  May  18  issue  which  the 
Society  has  just  received  is  printed  on  cotton  cloth,  and  at 
the  bottom  an  extra  large  margin  was  left,  on  which  for- 
tunately appears  the  manufacturer's  trade  name  for  the 
material:  KENT  SHEETINGS.  The  issue  of  May  13, 
is  also  printed  on  cotton  cloth,  thus  completing  the  Society's 
file  of  this  unusual  cotton  cloth  newspaper.  The  issue  of 
May  13,  may  have  been  printed  on  silk  and  if  so,  it  is 
hoped  that  some  possessor  of  a  copy  of  this  silk  edition 
will  present  it  to  the  Society,  so  that  our  collection  of 
material  relating  to  this  curious  episode  in  newspaper 
history  may  be  complete. 

Inspired  by  these  editions  of  the  Independeiit^  the 
Republican  Hercdd  issued  as  a  broadside  the  Speech  of 
Governor  Dorr,  dated  June  25,1  844,  in  an  edition  printed 
on  silk. 

Using  cloth  instead  of  paper  as  a  medium  on  which  to 
print  information  for  publication  was  not  unusual  at  that 
time.  Mr.  William  Davis  Miller  owns  a  sheet  of  national 
flags  printed  in  England  in  color  on  cloth  about  1840. 

Manuscript  copies  of  the  items  referring  to  the  Greene 
family  in  the  Gillingham  Court  Rolls  in  the  Rylands 
I>ibrary  at  Manchester,  England,  have  been  presented  to 
the  Society  by  Capt.  G.  Andrews  Moriarty,  Jr.,  who  in 
the  July  issue  of  the  Collections  contributed  a  brief  article 
on  the  ancestry  of  John  Greene  of  Warwick,  based  on  these 
documents. 


Frat;mcnts  o(  the  court  dress  which  was  presented  by  King  George  I 
to  William  Hopi<ins  of  Providence.  (See  Rhode  Ishmd  Privateers, 
p.  106.)    In  the  Soc!ety\<  7?iiiseu7N. 


130  rhodp:  island  historical  society 

The  following  persons  have  been  elected  to  member- 
ship in  the  Society: 

Mrs.  Harold  J.  Gross  Rabbi  Israel  M.  Goldman 

Mr.  Bruce  M.  Bigelow  Mr.  Howard  R.  Kent 

Mrs.  Philip  B.  Simonds  Mrs.  Richard  Howland 

Mr.  Roy  F.  Whitney 

New  books  of  Rhode  Island  interest  are: 

Roger  WillhiffJSy  PropJiet  and  Pioneer,  by  Emily 
Easton,  1930,  339  pages. 

T/ie  Book  of  Rhode  Island,  an  illustrated  description  of 
the  advantages  and  opportunities  of  the  State,  distributed 
by  the  Rhode  Island  State  Bureau  of  Information,  1930. 

The  July  1930  issue  of  the  Historical  Collections  of 
the  Essex  Institute  contains  an  account  of  Roger  Williams 
by  Rev.  Milo  E.  Pearson. 

Bristol,  Rhode  Island.  A  Town  Biography,  by  M.  A. 
DeWolfe  Howe,  172  pages,  has  just  been  issued  in  com- 
memoration of  the  250th  anniversary  of  the  founding  of 
the  town. 

The  Colonial  T/ieatre  in  New  England,  a  paper  read  by 
Professor  Ben  W.  Brown  of  Brown  University,  has  been 
printed  as  a  Special  Bulletin  by  the  Newport  Historical 
Society. 

The  Rhode  Island  Merchants  and  The  Sugar  Act  by 
Frederick  Bernays  Wiener  is  a  pamphlet  of  36  pages 
reprinted  from  the  New  England  Quarterly. 


Heraldic  Notes 
CARPENTER 


Daniel  Carpenter,  who  died  in  1763,  was  buried  in  the 
old  Rehoboth  cemetery,  which  is  now  in  East  Providence, 
R.  I.,  and  his  grave  is  marked  by  an  armorial  tombstone, 
bearing  the  arms,  "A  greyhound  passant  and  a  chief," 
with  the  crest  "A  greyhound's  head."  The  arms  are  clearly 
intended  for  those  granted  to  William  Carpenter  of  Cob- 
ham,  Surrey,  on  March  4,  1663,  (Carpenter  Family  29, 
Burke) ^  viz:  "Argent  a  greyhound  passant,  a  chief  sable," 
with  the  crest  "A  greyhound's  head  erased,  per  fesse  sable 
and  argent." 

William  Carpenter,  the  recipient  of  this  grant  of  arms, 
died  in  1672  without  children,  and  Amos  B.  Carpenter, 
author  of  the  Carpenter  Faniilyy  seeks  to  prove  that  the 
American  branch  of  the  family  inherited  the  coat  of  arms 
as  next  of  kin.  He  fails  to  prove  both  the  relationship  and 
"right  of  inheritance."  He  claims  the  early  use  of  these 
arms  by  the  Carpenter  family  in  America,  but  the  earliest 
definite  date  he  gives  is  1730,  when  it  was  drawn  on  the 


131 


132  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

cover  of  a  note  book  by  Dr.  Comfort  Carpenter,  when  a 
student  at  Harvard  College. 

Below  the  shield  on  Daniel  Carpenter's  stone  is  a 
ribbon,  on  which  appears,  instead  of  a  motto,  the  inscrip- 
tion: "Argent  a  Greyhound  passant  a  Chief  Sable  is 
Borne  by  the  name  of  Carpenter,"  now  badly  defaced  by 
weather.  From  this  it  would  appear  that  the  design  on 
the  stone  was  copied  from  an  armorial  painting,  which 
bore  the  aforesaid  inscription  under  it. 

If  the  arms  of  William  Carpenter  of  Cobham  were 
printed  in  Guillim  or  some  other  book  before  1730,  Com- 
fort Carpenter,  when  at  Harvard,  might  have  copied  them 
from  such  a  book.'^' 

If  these  arms  were  not  in  a  printed  book  before  1763, 
the  date  of  the  stone,  the  possibility  of  inheritance 
increases. 

William  Carpenter,  the  ancestor  of  the  Rehoboth  Car- 
penters, came  from  Wherwell  or  Horwell,  not  far  from 
Cobham  in  Surrey,  [Carpeiiter  Family  p.  35  and  Z6  and 
Savage,)  and  the  knowledge,  that  the  family  came  from 
Surrey,  would  doubtless  lead  them  to  assume  the  arms 
born  by  William  Carpenter  of  Surrey. 

They  might  well  be  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the  arms 
were  a  grant  to  William  of  Cobham,  and  from  his  use  of 
them,  might  assume  that  they  were  arms  which  he  had 
inherited,  and  so  were  the  arms  of  the  Carpenters  of 
Surrev. 


'  ^ 'The   earliest   priiittd   book   in   which   I   have   found   these   arms   is   Edmondson, 
1780. 


Rhode    Island 

Historical  Society 
Collections 


\\)1.  XXR' 


JANUARY,  1931 


No.  1 


^ 


> 


iJ  fe-^^^ j<"X  Y/ 


^-^-^  f-^  - 


-"'y-^d^,' 


PROVIDENCE    POSTAGE    STAMPS 


5^^j  page  58 


Issued  Quarterly 
68  Waierman  Street,  Providence,  Rhode  Island 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Roger  Williams  and  the  English  Revolution    .        .  1 

Notes 58 

The  Slater  Collection  of  Providence  Stamps        Cover  6^  5S 

Richard  Smith's  Canilet 59 

Jemima  Wilkinson 60 

New  Books 62 

King  Philip's  Belt 63 


ROGKR  WILLIAMS  NUMBER 

COMMEMORATING   THE   THREE-HUNDREDTH   ANNIVERSARY   OF 

ROGER  Williams'  first  voyage  to  America 

DECEMBER  1  63  0  -  FEBRUARY  1631 


RHODE 
HISTORICAL 


ISLAND 


SOCIETY 


COLLECTIONS 


VOL.  XXIV 


January,    1931 


No.    1 


Addison  P.  Munroe,  President     Gilbert  A.  Harrington,  Treasurer 
Howard  W.  Preston,  Secretary  Howard  M.  Chapin,  Librarian 


The  Society  assumes  no  responsibility  for  the  statements  or  the  opinions 
of  contributors. 


Roger  Williams  and  the  English  Revolution 

By  James  Ernst* 

The  place  of  Roger  Williams  in  the  history  of  Demo- 
cratic thought  and  the  Rights  of  Man  is  not  yet  fully 
determined.  A  monument  in  Geneva  honors  him  in  the 
company  of  Luther,  Calvin  and  Knox,  as  one  of  the  five 
leading  Reformers  of  the  16th  and  1 7th  centuries.  But  the 
English  and  American  historians,  as  a  rule,  do  not  give 
him  such  a  prominent  rank  among  the  world-movers  of 
his  age,  although  two  of  the  foremost  American  historical 
scholars,  Channing  and  Bancroft,  rank  him  as  the  most 
important  individual  figure  among  the  English  colonists 
of  the  17th  centurv. 


*See  R.  I.  H.  S.  C.  Oct.,  1929,  p.  97,  and  Jan.,  1930,  p.  18  for  other 
writings  on  Roger  Williams  by  Dr.  Ernst. 


Z  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Several  authorities  on  the  history  of  political  ideas  agree 
that  The  Bloudy  Tenant  by  Roger  Williams  is  the  source 
of  the  principles  underlying  the  English  Revolution  of 
1648.  Herman  Weingarten  in  Die  Englhche  Revolution- 
skirche  concludes  that  the  democratic  ideas  of  Williams 
were  back  of  the  principles  of  the  sectarians  and  the  Level- 
lers in  their  revolt  against  the  Presbyterian  Parliament  and 
the  royal  authority.  George  Gervinus,  in  the  Introduction 
to  the  History  of  the  Nineteenth  Century^  writes  that  the 
people's  sovereignty  and  religious  liberty  principles  of 
Williams  influenced  the  Levellers,  and  "have  given  laws 
to  one  quarter  of  the  globe,  and,  dreaded  for  their  moral 
influence,  they  stand  in  the  background  of  every  demo- 
cratic struggle  in  Europe." 

The  Bloudy  Tefient,  wrote  Dunning,  ( Political  Theo- 
ries: Luther  to  Montesquieu,  pp.  231  ff)  "derived  its 
principles  and  its  form  from  his  American  experience,"  and 
"expressed  essentially  the  resolution  of  a  body  of  religi- 
ous sectaries,  the  Independents  .  .  .  and  the  fuller  impli- 
cations of  the  theory  which  the  work  embodied  were 
revealed  in  the  political  re\'olution  which  was  effected  in 
1647-1648  by  the  Army."  Dr.  Jellinek  in  his  Declaration 
of  the  Rights  of  Man  and  of  Citizens,  says  of  the  theories 
of  government  by  consent  of  the  people  expressed  in  a 
social  compact  and  individual  rights  of  man  in  Europe  and 
America,  that  the  "first  Apostle  was  not  Lafayette  but 
Roger  Williams."  A  recent  study  of  the  relation  of  Wil- 
liams to  the  English  revolt  in  1648  has  been  made  by  Dr. 
Michel  Freimd,  ( Die  Idee  Der  Toleranz  i)n  England  Der 
Grossen  Revolution,  Halle,  1927,  fp.  241-268)  in  which 
he  holds  that  Williams  is  "the  ripest  fruit  of  the  Renais- 
sance and  the  Reformation  movements"  and  the  foremost 
exponent  of  full  liberty  of  conscience,  the  social  compact 
and  the  rights  of  man  in  the  English  revolution.  Dr. 
Freund  also  maintains  that  Williams  has  a  fully  developed 
political  theory  set  forth  in  his  Bloudy  Tenent  and  other 
pamphlets. 


ROGER  WILLIAMS  AND  THK  KXGLLSH  RKVOLL'TION  ,5 

According  to  the  conclusions  of  these  writers  Williams 
supplied  the  political  theories  expressed  in  the  "Agree- 
ment of  the  People"  and  other  proposals  of  the  Army  for 
a  democratic  government,  a  written  compact,  and  religious 
liberty  and  rights  of  man.  Dunning,  Jellinek,  Freund  and 
Gervinus  had  some  acquaintance  with  the  sectarian  and 
Leveller  pamphlets  of  the  Civil  War,  and  approached  the 
subject  with  scholarly  methods.  Their  conclusions  deserve 
at  least  close  scrutiny.  It  is  my  purpose  to  make  a  brief 
summary  of  the  references  to  Roger  Williams  and  his 
pamphlets  which  I  have  discovered  in  the  Thomasin  Col- 
lection of  the  British  Museum,  with  the  view  of  aiding 
tow^ard  a  more  definite  understanding  of  the  tremendous 
influence  his  principles  had  in  the  Civil  War  and  the  revolt 
of  1647-48. 

The  English  re\'o]ution  of  1648  was  mokied  by  two 
chief  forces.  ( For  a  history  of  the  Civil  War,  see  Gar- 
diner. TJie  Great  Civil  Way.  4  vols.)  First,  in  the  Civil 
War  from  1 640  to  1  646,  the  Puritan  Parliament  turned 
from  sovereignty  of  the  Common  Law  to  the  sovereignty 
of  Parliament,  and  attempted  to  reduce  the  King's  prero- 
gative within  the  bounds  of  Reason,  Law^,  and  Parliament. 
Secondly,  the  Puritans  in  Parliament  strove  to  wnn  a 
liberty  for  their  own  worship,  on  equality  w^ith  the  Angli- 
cans. The  religious  disputes  centered  in  the  Assembly  of 
Divines.  And  by  1644,  the  Lidependents  and  Sectarians 
introduced  religious  liberty  into  the  realm  of  politics. 
(Christopher  Feake:  A  Beam  of  Lights  1654.  E-737.) 

By  1641,  the  Puritans  party  including  Cromwell,  Bar- 
rington,  Masham,  Pym,  Warwick,  Hampden,  Prynne, 
Overton,  Walwin,  and  Lilburne,  generally  accepted  the 
doctrine  of  the  sovereignty  of  Parliament.  In  the  spring  of 
1642  arguments  based  on  abstract  principles  of  govern- 
ment began  to  supplement  those  based  on  Common  Law. 
The  defenders  of  the  sovereignty  of  Parliament  were 
delving  into  the  origins  of  government  to  defend  the 
actions  of  the  Puritan  parliament.  Henry  Parker  in  Juh', 


4  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

1642,  (Observations  upon  some  of  his  Majesties  late 
answers,  E-153  (20)  argued  that  parliament  is  the 
supreme  and  arbitrary  power  of  the  land,  "it  is  indeed  the 
state  itself."  He  allowed  for  the  union  of  church  with 
state,  merely  transferring  the  divine  right  of  kings  to  the 
divine  right  of  parliament.  {Ibid.  The  true  ground  of 
ecclesiastical  regimes,  Nov.  1641j  The  Leveller  Move- 
ment,  Theodore  Pease.) 

Two  schools  of  the  social  contract  now  came  forward  in 
the  political  struggle  in  England.  Henry  Parker  and  his 
followers  by  reason  of  the  compact  claimed  parliamentary 
absolutism.    Herle    ( A   fuller   answer   to   Doctor   Feme, 

1642,  E-244)  Philip  Hunton,  (A  treatise  on  monarchy, 

1643,  E-103)  and  Samuel  Rutherford  (Lex  Rex:  the 
law  and  the  prince.  Oct.,  1644,  E-11)  held  that  the 
compact  between  the  king  and  the  commons  or  freeman 
created  three  estates — king,  lords,  and  commoners,  with 
king  supreme.  Neither  of  these  compact  theories  assigned 
any  importance  to  the  great  mass  of  people  below  the 
rank  of  freeman. 

Meanwhile  Roger  Williams  had  been  doing  memorable 
work  in  the  American  wilderness.  In  the  spring  of  1631, 
he  had  declared  to  the  Boston  magistrates  for  absolute 
liberty  of  conscience,  separation  of  church  and  state,  and 
agreed  to  the  supremacy  of  the  General  Court  of  the  Bay 
in  civil  affairs  only.  In  1636,  he  founded  Providence  and 
by  means  of  a  social  compact  erected  a  town-government, 
the  written  constitution  granting  sovereignty  to  the  house- 
holders, liberty  of  conscience,  separation  of  church  and 
state,  and  government  "only  in  civil  things."  This  form 
of  government  was  still  functioning  in  1644. 

In  the  summer  of  1643,  Roger  Williams  arrived  in 
England  as  the  agent  of  his  colony  to  procure  a  charter 
of  civil  government.  In  September,  he  published  his  Key 
into  the  Language  of  America  in  which  he  discussed  the 
democratic  form  of  tribal  government  among  the  Indians, 
the  law  of  nature  and  the  Indian  toleration  of  religions. 


ROGER  WILLIAMS  AND  THE  ENGLISH  REVOLUTION  0 

Early  in  1644  he  published  Queries  of  Highest  Considera- 
tions and  Master  Cotton^s  Letter  Answered.  In  these  two 
pamphlets  Williams  discussed  his  banishment,  the  princi- 
ples of  sovereignty  of  the  people,  absolute  liberty  of  con- 
science, separation  of  church  and  state,  natural  rights  of 
man,  and  his  Seeker  religious  views.  He  succeeded  in 
1644  in  obtaining  from  Parliament  a  charter  of  free 
government  in  civil  things,  granting  to  the  settlers  of  the 
Narragansett  country  the  right  to  establish  their  own  form 
of  civil  state. 

For  our  present  purpose,  the  fact  that  Williams  founded 
an  independent  civil  state  on  the  social  compact  theory 
fixing  the  sovereignty  in  the  people  is  of  great  importance. 
His  doctrines  prior  to  1 644  should  be  kept  in  mind  in  con- 
sidering the  references  to  him  and  his  writings  by  the 
pamphleteers  whom  I  shall  quote.  Furthermore,  it  is 
necessary  to  keep  in  mind  certain  aspects  of  the  Civil  War 
in  1643: 

First,  when  Williams  came  to  London,  the  leading 
pamphleteers  were  Prynne,  Lillburn,  Pym,  Hampden, 
Walwin,  Overton,  John  Goodwin,  and  others.  These 
writers  were  contending  for  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the 
"Free-born  Englishmen  and  Citizens"  only.  The  freemen 
were  only  a  small  body  of  the  English  nation  and  repre- 
sented the  substantial  middle  class.  The  writers  agreed 
that  Parliament  was  sovereign.  But  the  great  mass  of  the 
people,  the  lower  classes  of  England,  the  peasants  and 
toilers,  small  tradesmen  and  craftsmen  were  looked  upon 
with  contempt  as  unfit  for  civil  power.  Not  until  after 
Williams  has  been  in  England  for  some  months  does  any 
one  come  out  for  the  sovereignty  of  the  people.  The 
Leveller  movement,  perse,  did  not  begin  until  after  1645. 

Secondly,  the  political  aspect  of  religious  liberty  is  less 
complicated.  According  to  Baillie,  Robert  Brown  stood 
"for  full  liberty  of  conscience  uncontrolled  by  the  law  of 
any  mortal  manj  but  in  this  all  his  disciples  till  of  late 
did  leave  the  master."  (  Anabaptism  the  fountain  of  Inde- 


"6  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

pendency,  1646,  E-369.)  In  the  second  decade  of  the 
1  7th  century  three  tracts  on  liberty  of  conscience  appeared  j 
but  Leonard  Busher,  in  A  Plea  jo?-  Liberty  of  Conscience^ 
1614,  and  the  anonymous  writers  of  Persecution  for  Reli- 
gion Judged  and  Condennied,  1615,  and  A  Most  Humble 
Supplication^  1620,  ask  only  for  a  toleration  of  different 
religions  while  all  three  make  allowance  for  a  state  church 
and  for  a  general  and  limited  oversight  by  the  magistrate. 
Now  toleration  is  not  full  liberty  of  conscience  and  wor- 
ship j  it  is  mere  permission  out  of  necessity  or  for  expedi- 
ence. It  is  a  gift  from  a  superior  to  an  inferior  religion  and 
worship.  No  English  writer  in  the  decade  prior  to  1643 
,  advocated  anything  but  Toleration  of  certain  Christian 
't  protestants,  except  Roger  Williams  who  denied  the  right 
of  the  state  to  meddle  with  spiritual  matters  in  any  form 
.  claiming  absolute  liberty  of  conscience. 

Thirdly,  the  name  of  Seeker  does  not  appear  prior  to 
1644  in  any  of  the  Thomasin  tracts  published  against  the 
Sectarians.  The  passage  in  Truth\^  Cha?npion^  ascribed  to 
John  Murton,  1617,  which  refers  to  the  Seekers  was  prob- 
ably added  to  the  editions  published  after  the  Civil  War  to 
counteract  the  influence  of  the  Seekers.  (Burrage,  Early 
English  Dissenters y  Vol.  1,  pp.  259  ff . ) 

Roger  Williams  is  "the  father  of  the  Seekers  in  Lon- 
don" wrote  Richard  Baxter.  (  Relig.  Baxterianeo,  Part  l,p. 
76 )  Roger  Williams  was  the  "chief  of  the  Seekers,  per- 
haps the  original  founder  of  the  Sect"  said  Masson,  and 
certainly  the  bravest  exponent  of  their  principles.  (  Mas- 
son,  Milton,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  153.) 

"The  Independents  are  divided  among  themselves,  one 
Mr.  W^illiams,"  wrote  Robert  Baillie,  June  7,  1644,  "has 
drawn  a  great  number  after  him  to  a  singular  Indepen- 
dency, denying  any  true  church  in  the  world,  and  will 
have  every  man  to  serve  God  by  himself  alone,  without 
any  church  at  all.  This  man  has  made  a  great  and  bitter 
schism  lately  aniong  the  Independents."  On  July  23, 
1644,  Baillie  wrote  again  to  Mr.  Spang,  "Sundry  of  the 


R0(,;KK  WILLIAMS  AND  THP:  ENGLISH  REVOLUTION  / 

Independents  are  stepped  out  of  the  church  and  follow  my 
good  acquaintance  Mr.  Williams,  who  says  there  is  no 
church,  no  sacraments,  no  pastors,  no  church-officer  or 
ordinance  in  the  world  nor  has  been  since  a  few  years  after 
the  Apostles.'" 

In  April,  1644,  Reverend  Thomas  Hill  preached  a  ser- 
mon before  the  Lord  Mayor  and  Aldermen  of  London, 
referring  in  this  manner  to  the  followers  of  Roger  Wil- 
liams: 

"We  hear  of  others  w^ho  question  the  Truth  of  our 
Church  and  our  ministry  .  .  .  Yes  we  hear  of  some  grown 
to  the  desperate  height.  .  .  .  flattering  us  with  hope  of  New 
Apostles  and  glorious  discoveries  by  them.  Hereby  religion 
is  much  mangled  and  well-meaning  minds  not  a  little  dis- 
tracted which  way  to  take."' 

The  statement  of  Richard  Baxter,  supplemented  by  the 
allusion  of  Baillie  and  others,  makes  it  almost  certain  that 
Roger  Williams  was  the  founder  of  the  Seekers.  He  never 
denied  the  charge  j  nor  has  any  other  man  been  named  as 
the  founder  of  the  sect.  Ephraim  Paget  in  his  Heresio- 
graphy  remarked,  "many  have  wrangled  so  long  about 
the  church  that  at  last  they  have  quite  lost  it,  and  go  under 
the  name  of  Expecters  and  Seekers  j  .  .  .  some  of  them 
affirm  the  church  to  be  in  the  wilderness,  and  they  are 
seeking  for  it  there  j  others  say  it  is  in  the  Smoke  of  the 
temple,  and  that  they  are  grouping  for  it  there, — where  I 
leave  them  praying  to  God." 

Soon  after  Williams  arrived  in  London  in  the  summer 
of  1643,  he  began  to  attend  and  hold  religious  meetings 
with  other  radical  spirits  who  were  later  to  spread  his 
Seeker  views  and  his  political  ideas  to  the  farthest  corners 
of  England  and  into  Wales: 

"Through  Erbury,  his  old  schoolmaster,  Morgan  Lloyd 
came  to  know  of  the  new  doctrine  of  Roger  W^illiams," 


^Robert  Baillic,  Letters,  Vol.  II,  pp.   191,212. 
"The  good  old  way,  God's  way.  E-48. 


b  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

according  to  a  Welsh  writer.  "When  Morgan  Lloyd  was 
in  London,  at  the  end  of  the  year  of  1643,  Roger  Wil- 
liams was  there  on  a  visit  from  America.  While  he 
remained  in  the  capitol,  he  used  to  hold  religious  meet- 
ings with  Simpson,  Feake  and  others,  and  there  is  strong 
reason  to  believe  that  Erbury  belonged  to  this  brother- 
hood. In  a  book  written  by  one  of  the  ministers  of  the 
Independents  in  Wales,  Mr.  Henry  Niccols,  against 
Erbury,  the  latter  is  accused  of  being  a  disciple  of  Roger 
Williams.  .  . 

"After  the  departure  of  Roger  Williams  from  England, 
in  the  end  of  the  summer  of  1 644,  his  companions  con- 
tinued to  harbor  his  opinions  on  freedom  of  conscience  and 
the  disjunction  of  church  and  state.  If  Morgan  Lloyd  did 
not  meet  with  Roger  Williams  himself  we  know  that  he 
spent  much  time  in  the  company  of  his  disciples  Erbury, 
Harrison,  Simpson,  Feake,  and  others.  ...  It  is  interesting 
to  note  that  Morgan  Lloyd  goes  much  further  in  the 
direction  of  Roger  Williams  than  perhaps  any  other  of 
his  contemporaries."  {Llyfr  Y  Tr'i  Aderyn,  pp.  XXXII- 
XXXIV.    Translation  by  Professor  John  Parry.^) 

"This  Master  Roger  Williams,  late  of  New  England, 
hath  taught  Master  Erbury,  who  saith  as  Master  Cotton 
attesteth,"  wrote  Henry  Niccols  of  South  Wales.*  "Now 
this  Williams  was  an  officer  of  the  church  of  Salem  in  New 
England,  who  for  his  many  fearful  errors  and  damnable 
heresies  was  cast  out  of  communion  by  that  church;''  and 
afterward  for  his  obstinate  continuance  in  such  pernicious 
principles  was  banished  the  Commonwealth  by  the  Sen- 
tence of  the  Civil  Magistrates.  Gangroenam  amoveas.  ne 
fars  s'lncera  trahatur. 


^Eisteddfod  Transactions,  I  896. 

^The  shield  single  against  the  sword  doubled,  August,  1654,  E-710. 
Niccols  refers  to  Master  Cotton'' s  Anszver  to  Roger  Williams  by  John 
Cotton,  p.  54. 

^Roger  Williams  was  excommunicated  by  Rev.  Hugh  Peters,    1639. 


ROGER  WILLIAMS  AND  THE  ENGLISH  REVOLUTION  y 

"But  being  expelled  the  coasts  of  New  England  .  .  came 
over  into  Old  England  where  he  hath  sown  that  seed  that 
sprouts  out  both  in  Master  Erbury  and  others  in  this  wild 
and  bitter  fruit,  and  that  in  such  a  season  when  the  spirit 
of  error  is  let  loose  to  deceive  many  a  thousand  souls  in 
the  Nation,  whose  hearts  are  become  as  tinder  or  gun- 
powder ready  to  catch  and  kindle  at  every  spark  of  false 
light  .  .  .  Wherein  are  arisen  not  a  few  that  speak  such 
perverse  things  as  tend  to  take  away  all  the  Gospel,  Insti- 
tutions and  Ordinances  of  Jesus  Christ  j  for  take  away,  as 
Master  Erbury  and  Master  Williams  would  have  it,  all 
instituted  worship  of  God,  as  churches,  pastors,  teachers, 
elder,  deacons,  members,  public  ministry  of  the  Word, 
covenant,  seals  of  the  covenant,  viz:  baptism  and  the 
Lord's  Supper,  as  the  censures  of  church,  and  what  is 
then  left  of  all  the  Institutions  and  Ordinances  of  the 
Gospel.  It  was  the  work  of  Antichrist,  but  to  define  the 
Ordinances.  .  . 

Of  the  sectaries'  wanderings  Mr.  Niccols  says,  "and 
truly  I  cannot  blame  them,  seeing  all  the  heresies  and 
blasphemies  of  this  age,  have  had  the  privileges  of  shroud- 
ing themselves  under  the  Notion  of  New-Light,  Mr. 
Williams.  .  .  whom  Mr,  Cotton  calls  the  Prodigious 
Minter  of  Exorbitant  Novelties," 

"The  arch-representative  of  this  new  religion  of  Seek- 
erism"  concluded  Masson,  "on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic 
was  no  other  than  our  friend  Roger  Williams,"  In  the 
solitude  of  the  American  wilderness  he  worked  himself 
into  a  state  of  dissatisfaction  with  all  visible  church-forms 
and  of  yearning  after  the  unattainable  truth  for  which  the 
name  of  Seekerism  was  invented  by  himself  or  others. 

In  July,  1644,  Williams  published  his  parting  word  to 
his  mother  country  before  leaving  again  for  New  England, 
in  his  The  Bloody  Tenent  of  Persecution  for  the  Cause  of 
Conscience.  The  last  fifty-seven  chapters  of  this  pamphlet 
were  devoted  to  his  political  theory  of  the  social  contract 
and  sovereignty  of  the  people  in  a  reply  to  the  Model  of 


10  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Church  and  Civil  Power  prepared  by  the  clergy  of  the 
Bay  colony  in  1635  to  justify  his  banishment.  He 
addressed  to  the  High  Court  of  Parliament  these  revolu- 
tionary words: 

"That  the  Civil  Power  may  erect  and  establish  what 
form  of  ci\'il  Government  may  seem  in  wisdom  most 
meet,  I  acknowledge  the  Proposition  to  be  most  true,  .  .  . 
to  conserve  the  Civil  peace  of  the  People,  as  far  as  conserve 
their  Bodies  and  Goods.  .  . 

"The  Sovereign,  original,  and  foundation  of  Civil 
power  lies  in  the  People,  ( .  .  .  the  civil  power  distinct  from 
the  Government  set  up).  And  if  so,  that  a  People  may 
erect  and  establish  what  form  of  Government  seems  to 
them  most  meet  for  their  civil  condition.  It  is  evident 
that  such  Governments  as  are  by  them  erected  and  estab- 
lished, have  no  more  power,  nor  for  no  longer  time,  than 
the  civil  power,  or  people,  consenting  and  agreeing  shall 
betrust  them  with.  This  is  clear  not  only  in  Reason,  but  in 
the  experience  of  all  commonweals,  where  the  people  are 
not  deprived  of  their  natural  freedom  by  the  power  of 
tyrants. 

"The  Gentile  Princes,  Rulers  and  Magistrates  receive 
their  callings,  power  and  authority  ( both  Kings  and  Par- 
liaments) (im)  mediately  from  the  people"  which  "is  nat- 
ural, civil  and  humane  .  .  .  The  very  Commonweals, 
Bodies  of  People  .  .  .  have  fundamentally  in  themselves 
the  Root  of  Power  to  set  up  what  Government  and  Gov- 
ernors they  shall  agree  upon.  .  .  The  civil  Magistrate, 
whether  Kings,  Parliaments,  States,  Governors,  can  receive 
no  more  in  justice  than  what  the  people  give,  and  are 
therfore  but  the  eyes  and  hands  and  instruments  of  the 
people,  simply  considered  without  respect  to  this  or  that 
religion.  .  .  but  Derivatives  and  Agents  immediately 
derived  and  employed  as  eyes  and  hands,  serving  for  the 
good  of  the  whole:  Hence  they  have  and  can  have  no  more 
Power,  than  fundamentally  lies  in  the  Bodies  or  Fountains 


roc;i;r  Williams  and  thi".  knclish  ki-aolutiox  11 

themselves,  which  Power,  Might,  or  Authority,  is  not 
Religious,  Christian,  etc.,  but  natural,  humane  and  civil. 
.  .  .  The  very  nature  and  essense  of  a  civil  magistracy  .  ,  . 
( is )  essentially  civil,  "both  in  its  origin  in"  the  people's 
choice  and  free  consent  and  in  its  object  the  safety  of  their 
bodies  and  goods. 

"But  no  People  can  betrust  them  with  any  spiritual 
power  in  matters  of  worship,  but  with  a  Civil  power 
belonging  to  their  goods  and  bodies."  If  the  state  assume 
undelegated  power  "some  Papists  and  Protestants  agree  in 
deposing  of  magistrates."  The  nature  of  "the  magistrates 
power  and  weapons  being  essentially  civil,  and  so  not 
reaching  to  the  impiety  or  ungodliness,  but  the  incivility 
anci  unrighteousness  of  tongue  and  hand.  .  .  The  magis- 
trate hath  no  power  to  make  what  Laws  he  please  either 
in  restraining  or  constraining  to  the  use  of  indifferent 
things.  .  .  . 

"Outward  cWd  peace  can  stand  although  religion  be 
corrupted.  .  .  .  The  civil  state  was  never  invested  by  Christ 
with  the  power  and  Title  of  Defender  of  the  Faith.  .  .  let 
any  man  show  me  a  commission,  instruction  and  promise 
given  by  the  Son  of  God  to  Civil  powers  in  these  Spiritual 
affairs.  .  .  None  of  them  can  prove  it  lawful  for  People 
to  give  power  to  the  Kings  and  Magistrates  thus  to  deal 
with  them  their  subjects  for  their  conscience j  nor  for 
Magistrates  to  assume  more  than  the  people  betrust  them 
with.  .  .  So  unsuitable  is  the  commixing  and  intangling  of 
the  civil  and  the  spiritual  charge  and  government  that  the 
Lord  Jesus  and  his  Apostles  kept  themselves  to  one.  .  . 

"The  worship  which  a  State  professeth  may  be  con- 
tradicted and  preached  against,  and  yet  no  breach  of  Civil 
Peace."  It  is  "the  true  and  unquestionable  power  and 
privilege  of  the  Church  of  Christ  to  assemble  and  practice 
all  the  holy  ordinances.  .  .  and  become  a  Church,  consti- 
tute and  gather  without  and  against  the  consent  of  the 
Magistrate.   .   .   The  National  Church.    .    .   a  State-church 


12  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

whether  explicit,  as  in  Old  England  or  implicite  as  in 
New,  is  not  the  Institution  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."" 

Williams  left  England  for  Providence  in  America 
sometime  in  July  or  August,  1644.  The  bold,  provoking 
words  of  The  Bloudy  Tenant  of  Persecution  fired  the  pub- 
lic imagination.  Both  Houses  of  Parliament  and  the 
Assembly  of  Divines  at  Westminster  found  it  necessary 
to  turn  aside  from  their  routine  duties  and  breath  anathe- 
mas upon  Williams'  revolutionary  pamphlet.  On  August 
9,  the  House  of  Commons  resolved  "that  Mr.  White  do 
give  order  for  the  public  burning  of  one  Mr.  Williams 
his  book.  .  .  concerning  the  Toleration  of  all  sorts  of  Reli- 
gion." Offensive  to  the  Prelatists,  Puritans  and  Presby- 
terians, it  was  condemned  as  full  of  heresy  and  blasphemy. 

Burning  this  book  by  the  public  hangman  was  indeed  of 
little  avail.  A  second  unlicensed  edition  was  immediately 
brought  out.  The  reading  public  was  already  in  possession 
of  it.  Samuel  Richardson  asked  in  1647,  "whether  the 
priests  were  not  the  cause  of  the  burning  of  The  Bloudy 
Tenent."  (Necessity  of  Toleration,  Samuel  Richardson, 
1647,  E-407.)  William  Prynne  says  of  this  pamphlet, 
"now  because  all  of  this  rank  (who  pretend  themselves  the 
only  Saints  and  God's  peculiar  Portion)  are  apt  to  cry  out 
Persecution,  Persecution,  with  open  mouth.'" 

Numerous  pamphlets  now  appeared  paraphrasing  and 
literally  taking  over  from  The  Bloudy  Tenent  the  argu- 
ments and  telling  phrases  of  Williams.  Few  of  them  had 
the  courage  to  defend  Williams  openly.  Two  very  close 
friends  of  Williams  had  already  defended  his  idea:  Wil- 
liam Walwin  in  Liberty  of  Conscience:  or  the  sole  ineans  to 
obtain  Peace  and  Truth^  and  Rev.  John  Goodwin  in  M.  S. 
to  A.  S.y  with  a  Plea  for  Liberty  of  Conscience,  in  March 
and  May  of  1644.  They  had  been  associates  of  Williams 


^'The    Bloudy   Tenent   of   Persecution,    Pages    343,    366,    3  5  5,    398, 
418,  415,  256^  251,  120,  277,  267,  96,  389,  394,  200,  354. 
'The  sword  of  the  Christian  magistracy  supported.  E-516. 


ROtiF.R  WILLIAMS  AND  THE  LxMCiLISH   RKVOLUTIOX  13 

since  the  summer  of  1643,  and  their  works  show  his 
influence. 

The  Bloudy  Tenent  now  became  the  handbook  of  the 
sectarians,  anci  the  radicals  in  politics.  It  had  for  the  first 
time  clearly  stated  the  issue  of  liberty.  It  united  the  radi- 
cals in  religion  and  politics  under  a  common  banner.  Their 
cause  w^as  a  common  cause — to  free  themselves  from  the 
tyranny  of  church  and  state.  Williams  was  the  spokesman 
for  reformation  and  revolution,  and  he  said  the  appropri- 
ate things.  The  Independents  did  not  accept  his  principles 
until  1644j  and  by  1645  they  argued  that  there  was  a 
supreme  law  in  the  spiritual  world  distinct  from  and  inde- 
pendent of  Parliament  or  any  civil  power. 

On  January  2,  1645,  William  Prynne  opened  his  attack 
upon  Roger  Williams  (Truth  triumphing  over  falsehood, 
E-259.)  and  his  disciples,  John  Goodwin,  Henry  Burton, 
Walwin,  the  Overton  brothers,  Simpson,  and  others. 
Prynne  explained  how  these  men  changed  under  the  influ- 
ence of  Williams.  In  1642  and  early  part  of  1643  these 
men  asked  for  toleration  j  but  now,  said  he  in  his  dedication, 

"They  presently  altered  both  their  opinions  and  prac- 
tices, crying  down  the  authority  of  the  States  and  civil 
magistrates  ...  in  their  Apologies  and  Sermons  5  con- 
tracting, yea,  denying  them  that  very  power  which  before 
they  had  so  liberally  measured  out  unto  themj  affirming, 
that  the  States  had  no  power  at  all  over  their  private 
congregations." 

In  his  Epistle  to  the  readers,  he  said,  "their  New  Way 
of  government,  they  are  enforced  to  deny  the  undoubted 
Power  and  Jurisdiction  of  Parliaments,  Councils,  Synods 
and  Civil  magistrates,  in  Ecclesiastical  affairs."  In  favor  of 
the  New  Testament,  "they  modify  and  slight  Examples 
of  the  Old  Testament  .  .  .  With  a  liberty  of  altering  and 
varying  to-morrow,  from  what  they  affirm  or  believe 
today,  upon  new  light  disco\'ered,  which  is  in  truth  to  bring 
a  mere  Skepticism  into  Religion^  to  play  fast  and  loose 
with  God  and  our  own  conscience;   to  doubt  all   thines. 


14  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

firmly  believe  nothing  .  .  .  Their  very  principles  teach 
disobedience  to  Parliament,  Synods,  Princes,  Magistrates, 
and  all  other  superiors,  in  all  their  just  laws  and  commands 
which  concern  church  or  religion  j  dissolve  all  relations,  all 
subordinations,  and  human  society  itself  .   .   .   ." 

He  asked  "whether  every  particular  church  or  congre- 
gation whatsoever  be  such  an  absolute,  complete,  inde- 
pendent body  in  itself  .  .  .  .  If  all  particular  Churches 
enjoy  their  privilege,  then  mark  the  consequences:  Papists, 
Arminians,  Anabaptists,  Socinians,  Antinomians,  Arians, 
Familists,  and  as  Master  Williams  an  Independent  affirms, 
in  print,  Mahumetans,  Jews  and  all  the  several  Sects  of 
Religion  in  the  world  must  ...  be  absolute  and  inde- 
pendent too^  nor  may  any  magistrates.  Parliaments, 
Synods,  make  laws  to  regulate,  reclaim,  suppress,  or  pun- 
ish them  because  they  are  subject  to  none  but  Christ  and 
accountable  only  to  him  and  their  conscience  free." 

There  is  a  great  deal  more  in  this  strain  in  the  pamphlet  ^ 
but  this  is  sufficient  to  indicate  the  place  in  the  movement 
given  to  Williams  by  Prynne  who  was  at  this  time  one  of 
the  chief  spokesmen  of  the  Presbyterian  party.  The  fol- 
lowing July,  he  launched  another  attack  on  the  "New- 
Wanciering-Blasing-Stars  and  Firebrands" (A  Fresh  Dis- 
covery of  some  Prodigious  new-wandering-blasing-stars 
and  firebrands,  July  24,  1645,  E-261.). 

"these  new  furious  Sectaries:  who  to  engage  all  sorts  of 
peoples  in  their  quarrel  proclaim  a  free  Toleration  and 
Liberty  of  Conscience,  to  all  Sects,  all  Religions  whatso- 
ever be  it  Judaism,  Paganism,  Turcism,  Arianism,  Popery, 
as  all  their  pamphlets  manifest  ....  Those  New-Lights 
and  Sectaries,  sprung  up  among  us,  who  (being  many  of 
them  Anabaptists  have  all  new  Christened  themselves  of 
late  by  the  common  name  of  Independents  .  .  .  ever 
learning  and  never  able  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
Truth,  as  those  Independent  Seekers  are  who  like  wander- 
ing Stars  gad  every  day  after  New-Lights,  New-fashions 
of  church  government,  wavering  like  empty  clouds  with- 


ROGER  WILLIAMS  AND  THE  ENGLISH  REVOLUTION  15 

out  water,  or  waves  of  the  sea  driven  with  the  wind  and 
tossed  ....  While  they  promise  them  liberty  (the  Lib- 
erty of  Conscience  to  profess  what  Religion  they  list)  to 
use  what  church  government  they  please  without  control  of 
Parliament,  Synod,  or  magistrate." 

After  this  scolding  of  the  Independent  Seekers,  Prynne 
turned  upon  John  Goodwin,  Henry  Burton,  Henry  Rob- 
inson, John  Lillburne,  "a  ringleader  of  the  Firebrands," 
and  Hugh  Peters,  "Solicitor  general  of  the  Independent 
cause  and  Party."  These  men  are  known  to  have  been  asso- 
ciates and  close  friends  of  Williams  while  he  visited 
London. 

Referring  to  Hugh  Peters,  Davenport,  and  Roger  Wil- 
liams, who  had  been  active  after  returning  from  America, 
another  writer  complained  that  (An  antidote  against  the 
contagious  air  of  Independency,  by  D.  P.  P.  Feb,  1645, 
E-270,  pp.  14,  21,  22  )  their  political  and  religious  ideas 

"might  be  effectual  in  some  small  Boroughs  in  Amer- 
ica; yet  it  would  certainly  be  destructive  in  this  populous 
kingdom  ....  for  since  they  are  come  from  Holland 
and  America,  they  have  increased  our  divisions  and 
retarded  by  the  one  moity  of  time,  the  establishing  of  the 
Directory  of  the  Discipline  of  the  Churches  and  of  the  true 
Reformation;  and  their  separation  and  their  gathering  of 
private  congregations,  hath  incouraged  the  Sectaries  in 
their  erroneous  ways,  that  for  one  Anabaptist  or  Antino- 
mian,  that  was  among  us,  when  they  came  over,  there  is 
now  ten." 

"But  many  other  most  damnable  doctrines,"  are  found 
by  Dr.  Daniel  Featley,**  "tending  to  carnal  liberty,  Fam- 
ilism,  and  a  medley,  and  Hodge-podge  of  all  Religions. 
Witness  the  Book  printed,  1644,  called  The  Bloodie  Ten- 
enty  which  the  Author  affirmeth  he  wrote  in  Milke,  and 


^The  Dippers  Dipt,  or,  the  Anabaptist  duck'd  and  plung'd  over  head 
and  ears  in  disputation,  Feb.  7,  1645.  E-268.  Sec  also,  A  Discourse 
concerning  Independency,  (anonymous)  Feb.  6,  1645,  E-259, 
defense  of  Goodwin  and  Burton,  borrows  liberally  from  Roger  Williams. 


16  '  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

if  he  did  so,  he  hath   put   much   Rats-bane  into   it,   as 
namely,"  Mr.  Featley  then  quotes  him. 

The  pamphlets  of  Williams  went  across  the  channel  into 
Europe.  David  Stewart  in  reference  to  Hugh  Peters  and 
Roger  Williams  and  probably  others,  wrote  in  March, 
(Zerubbabel  to  Samballast  and  Tobiah  .  .  .  concerning 
the  Independents,  March,  1645.  E-274.)  that  the  Inde- 
pendents were 

"condemned  by  the  Reformed  churches  of  France, 
Switzerland,  and  Geneva."  In  a  preface  to  the  reader, 
Stewart  says,  "they  came  from  a  farr  Country  to  dwell  at 
Jerusalem,  so  there  are  come  too  from  far  from  America, 
etc.,"  spreading  "anarchic  and  confusion"  and  "rent  the 
churches  more  than  Papists,  Arminians,  Anabaptists,  Socin- 
ians  and  all  other  Sects  and  Heresies  beside  ever  yet  did." 

He  then  turned  upon  Mr.  Parker  and  Mr.  Davenport 
both  under  the  "way  of  New  England," 

"Such  churches  your  selves  hold  unlawful,  turbulent, 
schismiatical,  and  punishable,  in  N.  E.  And  if  in  N.  E. 
wherefore  I  pray,  not  in  Old  England  also?" 

Probably  the  best  criterion  of  the  tremendous  influence 
and  the  lasting  impression  made  by  The  Bloudy  Tenent  of 
Persecution  is  the  appearance  of  a  pamphlet  on  April  8, 
1645,  written  by  Richard  Overton  who,  like  Prynne  and 
Lilburne,  was  a  prisoner  of  Newgate,  entitled  The 
Arraignment  of  Mr.  Persecution^  "by  Young  Martin  Mar- 
Priest,  printed  by  Marten  Claw — clergy  printers  to  the 
Assembly  of  Divines,  and  are  to  be  sold  at  his  shop  in  Tol- 
eration Street,  at  the  sign  of  the  Subjects  Liberty,  right 
opposite  to  Persecution  Court."  (British  Museum,  E-276 
{2)).  The  author  was  a  friend  and  disciple  of  Williams,  and 
Mr.  Persecution  is  taken  from  Williams'  title.  The  pam- 
phlet restates  all  the  doctrines  of  Williams  in  the  form  of 
a  dramatic  court  trial. 

The  judge  of  the  Court  is  Roger  Williams  and  The 
Bloudy  Tenent,  the  prisoner  is  Mr.  Persecution  and  Tyr- 
anny of  the  state-church.  The  Trial  takes  place  before  the 


KOCKR  WILLIAMS  AND  THE  ENCJLISH  REVOLUTION  17 

Lord  Parliament,  Judge  Williams  is  assisted  by  Justices 
Reason,  Humanity,  and  Conformity. 

Jury  of  Life  and  Death  are:  Creation,  Gospel,  Politique- 
Power,  State-Policy,  National-Loyalty,  Liberty  of  Sub- 
ject, Innocent  Blood,  Good-Samaritan,  Truth  and  Peace, 
Order,  Light  of  Nature,  Day  of  Judgment — Persecutor  is 
God's  Vengeance.  Witnesses  are  Christian,  Martyrs,  Lib- 
erty of  Conscience.  Defendants  are  Sir  Symon  Synod  and 
Sir  John  Presbyter. 

Sir  Symon  Synod  is  dissatisfied  with  the  jury,  and  pro- 
poses to  have  a  new  jury  selected,  made  up  of  these  men: 
Satan,  Antichrist,  Spanish-Inquisition,  Counsel-of-Trent, 
High-Commission,  Assembly  of  Divines,  Rude  Multitude, 
Sir  John  Presbyter,  Scotch  Government,  False  Prophets, 
Ecclesiastical  supremacy,  Pontifical  revenues,  but  failed  in 
the  attempt.  For  Judge  Roger  W^illiams  perceived  their 
evil  doings,  and  after  an  argument  the  judge  says,  "Sir 
Symon  I  cannot  in  Equity  permit  such  unworthy  Persons 
to  be  on  the  Jury,  only  Mr.  Assembly  of  Divines,  Sir  John 
Presbyter,  and  Mr.  Scotch-government  are  commanded  to 
attend  Court  for  the  service  of  the  King." 

Mr.  Persecution  is  then  sworn  in.  Meanwhile  Sir  Symon 
tries  to  kill  off  the  jury  by  stealth  anci  wiles,  but  is  discov- 
ered by  the  sergeant  of  the  Court. 

The  Trial  has  for  its  material,  ideas  taken  from  Tlie 
Bloudy  Tenent,  and  the  record  of  the  trial  covers  about 
forty  pages.  The  name  of  Mr.  Williams  and  The  Bloudy 
Tenent  appear  repeatedly  j  even  Master  Cotton's  Letter 
Anszvered  by  Williams  is  referred  to  several  times.  Mr. 
Overton  makes  a  few  references  to  Mr.  Cottons  Keys  and 
his  letter  to  Roger  Williams.  The  preface  to  the  reader 
refers  to  John  Goodwin,  Williams  and  The  Bloudy  Ten- 
ent^ after  these  words, 

"We  desire  Liberty  of  Conscience;  that  we  behaving 
ourselves  peaceably  in  the  commonwealth  and  yielding  due 
obedience  to  the  civil  magistrate  (to  whom  we  acknowl- 
edge ourselves  subject  in  our  goods  and  bodies   .    .    .   may 


18  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

have  liberty  to  worship  the  Lord  according  to  that  Light 
revealed  unto  us." 

GafFer  Liberty  of  Conscience  is  put  on  the  stand  and 
speaks  in  the  name  of  Williams  and  The  Bloudy  Tenenty 
page  22, 

"Mr.  Truth  and  Peace  speaking  .  .  .  Much  could  I 
say  against  the  prisoner  to  witness  the  verity  of  the  Indict- 
ment, but  for  brevity  sake,  I  shall  refer  you  to  the  discov- 
ery I  have  made  of  his  Impiety,  Treason,  Blood-shed,  etc., 
in  the  Book  entitled  The  Bloudy  Tenent." 

After  thirty-nine  pages  of  witnessing,  Mr.  Persecution 
pleads  guilty.  He  begs  the  judge  for  mercy.  The  judge, 
Mr.  Williams,  replies,  "No,  Persecution,  No!  prepare  to 
hear  thy  sentence."  But  before  the  sentence  is  pronounced, 
a  letter  arrives  from  Sir  Symon  Synod  and  Sir  John  Pres- 
byter to  their  friend  Justice  Conformity  begging  him  to 
suspend  sentence  of  Persecution  until  Presbyterianism  is 
established  over  England.  The  letter  closes, 

"Woe  unto  those  Anabaptists,  Brownists,  etc.,  those 
cursed  Heretics,  for  those  Presbyterian  Friends  expect 
but  the  word  of  command  to  devour  them  up:  But  Mr. 
Williams,  all  this  will  come  to  nothing,  if  the  Prisoner  be 
put  to  death,  you  see  those  Sectaries  have  had  such  free- 
dom of  speech  that  my  son  Jack  and  I  can  do  no  goodj 
now,  there  being  not  such  a  considerable  person  in  this 
Country  as  yourself  to  prevail.  We  therefore  charge  you, 
as  you  hope  to  be  a  Judge  fail  not  at  his  dead  lift  for  your 
Ears;  indeed  he's  in  your  debt,  but  he  vows  by  your  fiat 
justitia^  that  if  you  prevail,  he'll  provide  you  a  pair  of 
better  and  longer,  than  ever  you  had.  Hereof  fail  not,  and 
we  shall  not  be  backward  to  answer  your  deserts,  when,  we 
and  the  Parliament,  shall  be  commenced." 

Just  Reason  now  came  forward  to  plead  with  Judge 
Williams,  "My  Lord,  you  may  easily  perceive,  how  they 
would  pinch  your  Lordships  nose  with  a  pair  of  Scotch- 
Spectacles,  and  fix  a  pair  of  long  Synodian  Ears  unto  your 
Lordship's  head,  that  your  Lordship  might  see  nothing 


R0(;ER  WILLIA.MS  AND  THE  ENGLISH   REVOLL  TICJN  19 

but  Blue-Caps,  hear  nothing  but  Synodian  Thundery  but  I 
hope  )'our  Honor  is  thoroughly  sensible  thereof  j  yet  least 
your  Lordship's  Innocency  and  honest  endeavors  for  the 
general  and  equal  Rights  and  Liberties  of  the  Common 
People,  should  be  circumvented  by  their  policy,  I  shall 
.  .  .  present  the  cunning  insinuations  and  subtile  fictions 
of  Just — as  Conformity  in  their  true  shape  .  .  .  ." 

When  Just  Reason  had  finished  his  laying  bare  the  cun- 
ning of  Conformity,  Judge  Roger  Williams  rose  to  address 
the  Court  and  give  the  sentence, 

"With  much  patience  this  Court  hath  heard  the  several 
pleas  betwixt  Persecution  and  Liberty-of-Conscience  urged 
on  both  sides:  having  seriously  weighed  the  same  in  the 
Balance  of  Equity,  hath  found  Persecution  and  his  Abbet- 
ors  with  all  their  pleas  too  light,  even  mere  subtile,  airy, 
and  empty  delusions:  It  is  therefore  the  Sentence  of  this 
Court  "that  Sir  Symon  Synod  be  kept  in  prison  in  Henry 
VIII  Chapel  where  the  Assembly  of  Divines  meet  until  the 
"Reign  of  our  Sovereign  Lord  Christ,"  to  be  arraigned 
"with  the  rest  of  his  Holy  Tribe"  before  "his  Highness 
the  King  of  Kings,  and  Lord  of  Lords." 

"As  for  Sir  John  Presbyter,  this  Court  hath  voted  him 
to  the  unclean,  filthy,  impious,  unholy,  dark,  and  worldly 
Dungeon,  called  Jure  Humana,  therewith  Arch-Bishops, 
Bishops,  etc."  there  to  be  kept  until  "the  Trial  of  the  Great 
and  Terrible  Day." 

The  Judge  announced  that  the  Court  found  Persecution 
guilty  "of  enmity  against  God  and  all  goodness,  of  Trea- 
sons, Rebellion,  Bloodshed,  etc.,  and  sentenced  him  to 
return  to  "the  noisome,  and  filthy  cage  of  every  unclean 
and  hateful  Bird,  the  Clergy  of  Christendom,  there  to  be 
bound  with  Inquisition,  Synodical,  Classical,  Priest-bitter- 
all-chaines  until  the  Appearing  of  the  Great  and  Terrible 
Judge  of  the  Whole  Earth,"  who  then  shall  cast  all  three 
with  "their  Confederates  into  the  Lake  of  fire  and  brim- 
stone where  the  Beast  and  the  False  Prophets  are,  and 
there  to  be  tormented  day  and  night  for  ever  and  ever." 


20  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

The  Arraignment  of  Persecution  appeared  almost  a  year 
after  Roger  Williams  had  returned  to  America.  It  is  over- 
whelming evidence  that  The  Bloudy  Tenent  was  the  text- 
book for  the  Sectarians  and  the  people's  sovereignty  group 
in  England.  It  is  also  a  reminder  that  Williams  was  looked 
upon  as  one  of  the  most  powerful  enemies  to  Conformity 
and  Presbyterian  government  while  he  was  in  England, 
and  that  his  influence  was  still  feared  by  them.  More  than 
two  score  pamphlets,  in  the  Thomasin  collection  in  the 
British  Museum,  written  by  the  radicals  in  religion  and 
politics  appeared  in  1 644  and  1645  taking  over  verbatim  or 
paraphrasing  from  The  Bloudy  Tenent ^  Queries,  and 
Master  Cotton's  Letter  Answered.  I  have  omitted  these 
pamphlet  references  because  they  make  no  mention 
directly  of  Williams  or  his  pamphlets,  though  they  repeat 
his  sentences,  phrases,  and  peculiar  turn  of  revolutionary 
ideas. 

Three  pamplets  appearing  early  in  1645  in  defense  of 
the  doctrines  of  liberty  in  church  and  state  are  The  Com- 
■passionate  Samaritan,  anonymous  but  probably  by  Black- 
wood, second  edition  January,  1 645,  Innocency  and  Truth 
Triumphing  together,  January  8,  1645  (E-24J,  by  John 
Goodwin,  and  The  Independent's  IVLilitaire  Entertain- 
ment, April  24,  1645  (E-278)  by  "W.  L."  William  Ear- 
ner. No  direct  mention  is  made  of  The  Bloudy  Tenent,  but 
all  three  quote  from  it  freely.  These  men  were  associates  of 
Williams  while  he  was  in  Eondon.  (  See  also  H.  Burton, 
A  Vindication  of  Independents,  January,  1645.) 

Master  Eey  went  so  far  as  to  group  Coleman  and  Salt- 
marsh  with  Roger  Williams.  (  The  New  Quere  and  Deter- 
mination, December  1645,  E-311  (24),  pp.  27,  28,  29, 
106,  and  quoted  from  Saltmarsh,  The  Shining  of  a  Flam- 
ing Fire  in  7. ion  (  E-322  ). 

"Sure  I  am  (saith  he)  [Saltmarsh]  that  State  is  most 
free  where  the  conscience  is  least  strained  j  if  he  mean  most 
free  in  indulgence,  by  letting  loose  the  reigns  to  all  reli- 
gions, it  is  true,  and  if  he  allow  of  such  freeness,  (as  by 


ROCKR  WILLIAMS  AND  THE  KXCLISH  RKVOLUTTON  21 

his  ensuing  words  it  seems  he  doth )  he  complieth  with  the 
author  of  the  Book  of  The  Bloudy  Tenent ;  who  holdeth  as 
absurdly  as  impioush,"  etc.,  then  he  quotes  from  the 
pamphlet. 

John  Saltmarsh  replied  the  following  month  objecting 
to  Mr.  Ley's  joining  of  him  with  Williams  as  a  Seeker: 
(Smoke  in  the  Temple,  January  26,  1646.  E-316,  pp.  39, 
19,  15^^  20-23  gives  seventeen  exceptions  to  Seekerism) 

"For  the  freedom  contended  for  by  The  Bloody  Ten- 
ent, when  I  undetake  to  prove  his  freedom  at  large,  then 
put  us  together  j  till  then  deal  fairly."  Saltmarsh  is  for  tol- 
eration of  Christians  only  and  will  not  go  as  far  as 
Willianis. 

Of  the  "Seekers,  so-called"  he  finds  "such  clouds  rolling 
around  each  opinion".  .  .  For  they  hold  that  "there  is  no 
church  nor  ordinances  yet,  that  if  they  did  not  end  with 
the  Primitive  or  Apostolic  times,  yet  they  are  to  begin  as 
in  the  Primitive  times,  with  gifts  and  miracles,  and  that 
there  is  much  reason  for  the  like  gifts  to  make  out  the 
Truth  of  any  of  the  Gospels  now\"  He  rejects  the  Seekers 
on  seventeen  counts. 

Hanserd  Knollys,  the  Anabaptist,  replied  to  Saltmarsh, 
the  Antinomian,  the  next  months  but  while  he  discussed 
ordinance  he  mentioned  only  Saltmarsh  by  name  and  the 
Seekers  only  by  implication. 

The  year  of  1 646  is  replete  with  attacks  upon  The 
Bloudy  Tenent  and  its  sovereignty  of  the  people,  liberty 
of  conscience,  assemblage,  speech  and  writing,  and  separa- 
tion of  church  and  state.  Milton  who  has  been  so  profusely 
upheld  as  the  sole  champion  of  liberty  of  speech  and  press, 
is  unfortunately  almost  forgotten.  It  is  the  impious  and 
treasonable  Bloudy  Tenent  upon  which  the  brunt  of  the 
attacks  fall,  along  with  the  paniphlets  of  John  doodwin 
put  out  in  defense  of  the  same  idea. 

Reverend  John  Graunt  in  April,  1645,  launched  an 
attack  upon  the  Independents  and  realized  the  variety  of 
opinions  among  them.  He  conciemns  especially  "general 


22  •  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

liberty  of  every  man's  opinion,"  their  agreement  in  "the 
freedom  and  liberty  of  conscience,"  and  the  "congregations 
of  your  own  inventions."  (Truth's  \'ictory  against  Heresy, 
E-277.)  Paget  in  his  Heresiography,  April,  1645,  enu- 
merated forty-three  sects,  and  eighty-six  kinds  of  heresies 
rampant  in  England,  and  complained  bitterly  of  the  "here- 
tics and  sectaries"  conventicling  together  to  infect  one 
another.  His  reference  to  the  Seekers  has  already  been 
quoted. 

In  1646  the  Presbyterian  party  gained  control  of  Parlia- 
ment, and  was  able  to  work  with  the  Assembly  of  Divines. 
The  fear  of  the  author  of  The  Aryaig^iuient  of  Mr.  Perse- 
cution was  all  too  well  grounded.  The  Scottish  party  was 
well  supported  by  active  and  able  writers.  Paget,  Edwards, 
Burgess,  Featley,  Twisse,  Calamy,  Pr\nne,  Stewart,  Bail- 
lie,  Rutherford,  were  among  those  who  ably  defended  the 
Presbyterian  efforts  and  attacked  the  Sectarian  and  peo- 
ple's sovereignty  advocates.  E\'en  these  men  failed  to  avert 
the  approaching  revolution. 

"Liberty  of  Conscience  and  Toleration  of  all  or  any 
Religion,"  wrote  Baillie  January,  1646,''  "is  so  prodigious 
an  impiety,  that  this  religious  Parliament  cannot  but  abhor 
the  very  naming  of  it.  Whatever  may  be  the  opinion  of  Jo, 
Goodwin  and  Mr.  Williams  and  some  of  their  stamp,  yet 
Mr.  Burrows  in  his  late  Iremciim  explodes  the  abomina- 
don." 

Baillie  remarked  that  John  Cotton  wandered  into  "the 
horrible  errors  of  Antinomians  and  Familists  with  his  dear 
friend  Mistress  Hutchinson."  This  fall  of  Cotton  was 
upheld,  he  said  by  the  "testimony  of  Master  Williams, 
who  has  as  much  occasion  to  know  it  as  any  man  else^  and 
if  I  mistake  not  the  humor  of  the  man,  is  very  unwilling 
to  report  a  lie  of  his  greatest  enemy." 

About  the  Indian  mission  work  of  Williams,  he 
reported,  "of  all  ever  crossed  the  American  seas,  they  are 


'■'A  Dissuasive  from  the  Errors  of  the  Time,  Thomasin  Coll. 


ROCER  WILLIAMS  AND  THK  ENGLISH  REVOLUTION  23 

noted  as  most  neglectful  of  the  work  of  conversion.  I  have 
heard  of  none  of  them,  only  Master  Williams."  This  is 
correct,  for  Mr.  Eliot  began  his  work  in  1646  or  1647. 

Here  is  news  about  the  Hutchinson  troubles.  "Roger 
Williams  told  me  that  he  was  employed  to  buy  land  from 
the  sa\'ages,  iov  the  late  Governor,  and  Master  Cotton, 
with  the  followers,  a  proportion  of  Land  without  the  Eng- 
lish Plantation,  whither  they  might  retire  and  live  accord- 
ing to  their  own  mind,  exempt  from  the  Jurisdiction,  civil 
and  ecclesiastical,  of  all  others." 

In  this  Dissuasive  Mr.  Baillie  made  some  twenty  dis- 
tinct references  to  Roger  Williams  and  his  writings.  The 
Bloudy  Tenenty  Christenings  JVlake  Not  Christians^  M.as- 
ter  Cotton* s  Letter  Anszvered,  Queries,  and  Key  into  the 
Language  of  AtJierica.  He  mentioned  a  Williams  Paper  on 
religious  and  political  matters  in  Providence  Plantations 
and  New  England  j  this  Paper  is  at  present  unknown. 
Baillie  also  referred  to  The  Model  of  Church  and  Civil 
Pozver  of  the  Bay  Colony  preserved  in  part  in  The  Bloudy 
Tenent. 

In  February,  Edward's  Gangroena  came  off  the  press 
with  an  hysterical  account  of  swarms  of  sects,  "of  many 
errors,  heresies,  blasphemies  and  pernicious  practices  of  the 
sectaries  of  this  time  vented  and  acted  in  England  in  these 
last  four  years." 

"Besides  that  some  errors  are  vented,  even  the  grossest 
kind  in  print,  as  in  Pilgrimages  of  Saints,  Bloudy  Tenent 

yea  some  of  the  Sectaries  herein  their  writings 

published  and  acknowledged  .  .  .  for  a  toleration  of  all  as 
Anabaptists,  Antinomians,  etc.  .  .  .  Independent  churches 
admit  Anabaptists,  Antinomians  to  be  members;  besides 
not  censuring  wild  sectaries."  In  Part  III  under  the  discus- 
sion of  Eiberty  of  Conscience  he  returns  to  the  Bloudy 
Tenenty 


'"Gangroena,  Parts  I,  11,  111,  Feb.  26,  E-323,  Alav  28,  K-338,  Nov. 
28,  E-368,  16+6. 


24  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Of  the  Sectarians  "even  most  plea,"  wrote  John  Vicars/^ 
"for  a  Toleration  of  all  opinions  and  Liberty  of  Con- 
science, the  high-way  to  ruinate  and  destroy  all  religion 
and  conscience."  They  use  pulpit  and  press,  and  "cry-up  a 
most  licentious,  unlimited  and  Independent-destructive 
government  of  their  own  ungrounded  invention."  They 
include  "all  sorts  of  tyrannizing  misbelievers.  Heretics, 
Papists,  and  prophane  atheists  .  .  .  Anabaptists,  Antino- 
mians.  Independents,  Seekers,  and  such  like  Libertines  .  .  . 
to  broach  and  preach  that  most  wicked  and  accursed  doc- 
trine of  toleration  of  all  Religion  .  .  .  yea  all  Heresies, 
Errors,  Sects,  and  Schisms  under  that  false,  subtile, 
ungrounded  and  most  ungodly  pretext  of  Liberty  of 
Conscience." 

Mr.  Vicars  then  enumerated  those  who  are  preaching 
this  doctrine  in  England  at  that  time — Greenhill,  Bur- 
roughs, Thos.  Goodwin,  Wm.  Bridges,  Phil  Nye,  H.  Bur- 
ton, William  Walwin,  Mr.  Saltmarsh,  tending  that  way, 
Hugh  Peters,  "that  most  pragmatical  quecquid  in  Buc- 
cam,"  and  John  Goodwin.  These  were  known  as  the  asso- 
ciates of  Williams  in  the  London  religious  meetings.  Mr. 
John  Cjoodwin  in  the  AnapoJogestiates  ( Anapologesiate 
Antapologias,  August  27,  1646,  E-352.  answer  to  Anta- 
pologia,  Cxangroena,  etc.  by  Thos,  Edwards)  of  some  two 
hundred  pages  defends  the  Independent  position,  and 
"Mr.  Williams  and  the  Antinomians"  in  New  England. 

Into  the  conflict  were  thrown  the  quarrels  of  New  Eng- 
land. Samuel  Gorton  had  come  to  England  to  seek  redress 
against  Massachusetts  Bay  for  their  inhumane  treatment 
of  the  Gortonites.  "Wall-eyed  Gorton"  won  the  sympa- 
thies of  Independents  and  Sectaries,  and  published  a 
defense  of  his  life  in  New  England  under  the  title  of 
Simplicites  Defence  against  Seven-Headed  Policy  ( Nov. 
7,  1646,  E-360 )  To  this  attack  Edwin  Winslow  had  made 


^^The  Schismatick  Sifted,  or  the  picture  of  Independents,  June   22, 
1646,  E-341. 


ROCKR  WILLIAMS  AND  THE  ENGLISH  REVOLUTION  25 

a  reply  on  October  9,  1646  (E-409),  in  Hypocrasie 
Unmasked.  Roger  Williams  and  Providence  Plantations 
received  frequent  mention;  but  Williams  was  well  handled 
by  both  sides.  Since  the  quarrel  did  not  directly  concern  the 
English  Revolution  of  1648,  I  shall  not  quote  from  the 
pamphlets.  They  helped  to  keep  Williams,  his  ideas,  and 
his  social  experiment  at  Providence  before  the  English 
public. 

Mr.  E.dwards  had  complained  the  Independents  cry  out 
that, 

"all  power  of  civil  government  is  founded  only  in  the 
choice  and  election  of  the  present  people,"  who  can  have 
no  spiritual  power  to  give  the  state.  "Instead  of  Legal 
Rights  and  the  Laws  and  Customs  of  this  Nation,  the  Sec- 
taries talk  of  and  plead  for  natural  Rights  and  Liberties, 
...  in  many  of  their  pamphlets  .  .  .  speak  of  being  gov- 
erned by  Right  Reason  .  .  .  and  will  be  governed  by  rules 
according  to  nature  and  right  reason." 

These  peculiar  ideas  of  natural  rights  were  not  the  sole 
property  of  any  one  man  among  the  radicals  and  natural 
rights  group.  But  the  ideas  of  people's  sovereignty  and  the 
denial  of  magistrate  right  to  interfere  with  religion  as  a 
natural  right  was  held  by  the  writers  of  both  parties  as  the 
heresy  introduced  by  Williams  in  his  Bloudy  Tenent,  and 
as  vicious  as  his  Seeker  views.  Mr.  Baillie  in  his  tract  (Ana- 
baptism  the  fountain  of  Independency,  Dec.  1646.  E-369. 
pp.  54if,  56f,  etc.)  against  the  Independents  insisted  that 
A  Remonstrance  of  Many  Thousand  Citi'zens  for  the 
release  of  Lilburne  and  other  political  prisoners,  was  the 
result  of  the  Bloudy  Tenent  doctrines  of  liberty  of  con- 
science and  people's  sovereignty  taken  up  by  the  Sectarians: 

"The  masters  of  our  mis-orders  are  making  bold  to  go 
visit  the  State  and  try  their  strength  upon  her  ....  It  is  the 
certain  and  now  oft  printed  design  of  some,  to  overthrow 
from  the  very  foundation  the  whole  edifice  of  our  civil 
government;  no  king,  no  Lord,  must  be  heard  of  here- 
after; This  House  of  Commons  must  be  cut  down,  the 


26  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Imperial  and  absolute  Soveraignty  must  be  put  in  the 
hands  of  the  multitude  of  the  basest  people.  They  are  once 
every  year  to  choose  for  their  servants,  a  new  House  of 
Commons,  which  all  this  time  shall  draw  up  a  new  frame 
of  laws  and  a  new  model  of  government  ...  if  the  State  be 
overthrown,  then  all  is  desperate  and  gone,  every  particu- 
lar person  with  all  his  designs  how  gracious  soever,  is  ready 
to  be  overwhelmed  in  the  rubbish  of  the  commonwealth. 
It  would  be  remembered  that  members  of  the  best  state 
are  but  men  and  not  Angels  ....  the  perfect  and  spotless 
Republic  of  Plato,  may  well  have  some  place  in  Utopia  or 
in  the  moon,  but  upon  the  earth  it  never  yet  did  dwell,  nor 
in  haste  is  like  to  do.    ,    .   . 

The  number  of  Anabaptists  "in  England  till  late  was 
not  great:  and  the  most  of  these  were  not  English  but 
Dutch  strangers,"  and  "made  little  noise  in  England  till  of 
late  the  Independents  have  corrupted  and  made  worse  the 
principles  of  the  old  Separatists,"  such  as  Ainsworth,  John- 
son, Robinson,  and  Clifton.  "The  excommunications  of  one 
another  were  so  frequent  and  for  so  light  causes  that  sun- 
dry of  them  fell  to  the  opinion  and  practice  of  those  whom 
we  call  Seekers  5  they  serve  God  single  and  alone  without 
society  of  any  church  finding  no  Church  on  earth  with 
whom  they  could  agree  .  .  .  The  elder  Brownists  and 
Independents  of  New  England  do  make  it  a  chief  duty  of 
the  Christian  Magistrate  to  restrain  and  punish  false 
Teachers  and  enemies  to  the  Truth  of  God"  as  shown  in 
their  Model  of  Church  and  Civil  Power  in  The  Bloudy 
Tenenty  page  156.  "But  Mr.  Williams,  an  Anabaptist  long 
before  Blackwood  makes  it  a  Bloudy  Tenent"  and  cries  out 
for  "full  liberty  of  conscience."  Baillie  then  quotes  from 
the  Bloudy  Tenent. 

Baillie  stresses  the  influence  of  Lilburn  who  has  now 
come  half-way  to  the  people's  sovereignty  party.  Lilburn 
still  demands  the  liberties  of  the  Citizens,  as  distinguished 
from  the  mass  of  the  people.  The  Sectarians,  however, 
accept  his  plea  to  include  them.  Baillie  also  quoted  Wil- 


R0(;KR  WILLIAMS  AND  THK  KXCLISH    KIA'OLL'TION  27 

liams  on  the  Hutchinson  controversy  in  Massachusetts  as 
the  most  reliable  source.  The  influence  of  John  Goodwin, 
Bail  lie  considered  highly  effective. 

"\'ery  many  of  the  Anabaptists  are  now  turned  Seek- 
ers," continued  Baillie  as  he  elaborated  the  Seekers'  view 
spread  by  Williams,  "denying  the  truth  of  any  Church 
upon  earth  for  many  ages  past,  denying  that  there  are  any 
pastors  on  the  earth,  that  there  may  be  any  preaching  of 
the  word,  any  joining  in  prayer,  any  celebration  of  Bap- 
tism or  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  any  Church  discipline  at  all, 
or  any  Church  act,  Church-state,  or  Church  ordinance 
whatsoever  j  while  God  in  heaven  send  new  Apostles  to 
work  miracles  and  set  up  Churches  which  for  the  space  of 
fourteen  hundred  years  at  least  have  totally  failed  in  the 
whole  world.  Hitherto  Mr.  Williams,  Mr.  Clarkson,  Mrs. 
Attaway,  are  come,"  and  Saltmarsh  defends  Seekers,  Ana- 
baptists, Independents,  etc. 

Robert  Baillie  spoke  from  personal  knowledge  for  he 
talked  frequently  with  Mr.  Williams  in  1643  and  1644  at 
the  Assembly  of  Divines  in  Westminster,  and  in  London. 

A  number  of  pamphlets  were  published  during  the  year 
which  ciealt  with  Roger  Williams  and  his  ideas  by  impli- 
cation and  extracts  from  his  w^orks  w^ithout,  however,  mak- 
ing any  mention  of  him.  Several  of  them  having  unmis- 
takably reference  to  him  I  shall  here  include  under  two 
heads:  those  written  against  his  doctrines j  and  those  in 
defense  of  them.  Oi  those  against  his  doctrine  were  two 
editions  of  A  Relation  of  several  Heresies^  discovering  the 
original  Ring-leaders,  (first  edition,  Jan.  3,  1646,  E-863j 
second,  October  17,  1646,  E-358)  and  The  Arraingment 
of  the  Present  Schism  of  Nezv  Separation  in  Old  England^ 
(  May  4,  1646,  E-335  (  10  ).  The  former  in  no  case  named 
the  ring-leader  of  an  heresy  if  it  originated  in  Englanci, 
no  doubt  assuming  that  it  was  too  well  known  to  mention. 
Lender  "Expectants  anci  Seekers"  he  stated  "I.  That  there 
is  no  church  nor  ordinance,  nor  ministry  in  the  world; 
2.  That  it  is  the  will  of  God  that  miracles  should  attend  the 


28  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

ministry  as  in  the  Primitive  times."  The  latter  pamphlet  by 
John  Brinsley  has  much  about  "that  much  abused  Notion 
of  Liberty  of  Conscience,"  and  has  numerous  references  to 
pamphlets  dealing  with  Tlie  Bloudy  Tenent. 

Eight  pamphlets  in  defense  of  liberty  of  conscience  and 
people's  sovereignty  were  published  containing  implicit 
references  to  TJie  Bloudy  Tenent  without  naming  the 
pamphlet  or  Mr.  Williams.  Cretensh  by  John  Goodwin, 
(March  19,  1646,  £-328)^^  Whisker  in  the  ear  of  Mr. 
Thomas  Edwards,  A  Word  more  to  Mr.  Edwards,  (March 
13,  1646.  E-328j  March  19,  1646.  E-328)  and  ^  Predic- 
tion of  Mr.  Edwards  his  Conversion  (August  11,  1646, 
E-1184)  by  Williams  Walwin,  all  four  in  reply  to  the 
Gangroena  have  implied  references  to  Williams.  A  Plea 
for  Liberty  of  Conscience  by  Leonard  Busher,  first  pub- 
lished 1614,  and  reprinted  in  April,  1646,  (E-334.  Br. 
Mus.)  expresses  quite  fully  the  spirit  of  the  Sectaries.  And 
three  other  pamphlets  repeated  verbatim  a  great  deal  from 
the  pamphlets  without  naming  the  sources.  A  Defiance 
against  all  Arbitrary  Usurpation,  (Anonymous,  Sept.  9, 
1646.  E-353)  used  the  Williams  phraseology j  Conform- 
ity's Deformity,  in  a  dialogue  between  Conformity  and 
Conscience,  (Oct.  26,  1646.  E-358)  by  Henry  Burton,  a 
close  friend  of  Williams,  imitates  Williams'  dialogue, 
gives  the  Williams  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
takes  over  his  ideas  and  phrases  freely  without  credit  to 
Williams  j  and  in  Seekers  Supply ed,  or  Three  and  forty 
non-church  queries  by  Scriptures  answered,  (Nov.  2,  1646. 
E-359)  by  Thomas  Killcop,  has  not  a  point  not  made  by 
Williams  in  his  four  pamphlets  three  years  before,  and  yet 
gives  no  references.  The  Bloudy  Tenent  and  his  other 
pamphlets  had  by  the  end  of  1 646  became  public  posses- 
sion of  the  liberals  in  church  and  state. 

No  clearer  illustration  of  how  his  ideas  have  permeated 
the  thinking  of  the  Sectarians  exists  than  the  eighth 
pamphlet  of  the  group.  A  Remonstrance  of  Many  Thou- 
sand Citi'zens  and  Other  Free-born  people  in  England, 


ROGER  WILLIAMS  AND  THE  EXCLISH  REVOLUTIOX  29 

July  7,  1646,  in  defense  of  Lilburn  and  others  in  Newgate 
prison  (E-343.  BR.  Mus. ) : 

"We  are  well  assured,  neither  you  nor  none  else  can 
have  any  Power  at  all  to  conclude  the  People  in  matters 
that  concern  the  worship  of  God,  for  therein  every  one  of 
us  ought  to  be  freely  assured  in  our  own  minds,  and  to  be 
sure  to  worship  him  according  to  our  conscience  .  .  .  for 
ye  have  no  Power  from  us  so  to  do,  nor  could  havej  for  we 
could  not  confer  a  Power  that  was  not  in  ourselves  ...  If 
Kings  would  prove  themselves  Lawful  Magistrates  they 
must  prove  themselves  to  be  so  by  a  lawful  derivative  of 
their  Authority,  which  must  be  from  voluntary  trust  of  the 
People  .  .  .  being  possessed  of  no  more  power  then  what  is 
in  the  People  justly  to  intrust." 

This  quotation  from  their  pamphlet  shows  how  much 
the  Roger  Williams  ideas  had  influenced  the  writers.  I 
merely  include  it  to  show  how  far  the  "People"  had  trav- 
eled since  1643.  A  reply  was  made  to  this  Remonstrance  by 
John  Meyer  in  Christian  Liberty  Vindicated  condemning 
it  and  saying  there  is  "A  Democracie  being  advanced  above 
all"  by  a  late  seditious  people. 

Cromwell  himself  had  changed  much  in  religion  since 
1643.  In  1646,  he  wrote  to  his  daughter  Mrs.  Ireton: 
"And  thus  to  be  a  Seeker  is  to  be  of  the  best  sect  next  after 
a  Finder j  and  such  a  one  shall  every  faithful,  humble 
seeker  be  in  the  end.  Happy  Seeker,  Happy  Finder."  He 
approved  of  a  like  view  expressed  by  Lieut-Col.  Goffe,  in 
his  speech  to  the  Army  Council,  in  1647. 

On  March  9,  1647,  William  Prynne  returned  to  his 
attack  upon  Dell,  H.  Burton,  J.  Goodwin,  Lilburn,  Over- 
ton, and  Williams,  using  the  formula  "Lives,  Liberties  and 
Estates."  These  men  have  one  theme,  according  to  Prynne. 

"Liberty  of  Conscience,  they  preach  for,  wi-ite  for,  fight 
for,"  to  introduce  "Anarchy,  Libertinism,  impart  to  all 
Heretics,  Blasphemers,  Seducers,  Malefactors,  how  perni- 
cious soever,  to  let  corrupt  nature  and  graceless  Heresie 
loose  to  take  their  full  swing  and  plunge  men  into  all  sorts 


30  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

of  wickedness,  crimes,  villainies,  outrages  with  impunity  in 
this  world  .... 

"The  Independents  in  New-England  itself,  as  Master 
Cotton,  Master  Hooker,  and  others,  are  of  the  same  judg- 
ment, and  de  facto  banished  Master  Williams,  Mistress 
Hutchinson,  and  other  Heretics  and  Schismatics  out  of 
their  Plantations,"  admitting  "that  seducing  Heretics 
ought  to  be  put  to  death,"  .  .  .  especially  since  the  publish- 
ing of  "yl  Bloudy  Tenenf^  .  .  .  now  because  all  of  this  rank 
(who  pretend  themselves  the  only  Saints  and  God's 
peculiar  Portion )  are  apt  to  cry  out.  Persecution,  Persecu- 
tion, with  open  mouth. "^' 

Hell  Broke  Loose,  a  catalogue  of  errors,  heresies  and 
blasphemies,  appeared  on  the  same  day  (British  Mus. 
E-378),  giving  extracts  from  The  Bloudy  Tenent  and 
Queries  of  Highest  Consideration,  grouping  Williams 
with  Samuel  Gorton,  Clarkson,  J.  Goodwin,  and  Salt- 
marsh.  And  on  May  20,  appeared  a  pamphlet  by  "S.  R." 
propounding  fifty  questions  to  the  Assembly  of  Divines. 
( Fifty  questions  propounded  to  the  Assembly  to  answer 
by  Scriptures.  May  20,  1647,  E-388.)  Most  of  the  argu- 
ments were  lifted  bodily  from  the  Bloudy  Tenent^  even  to 
their  Scripture  references  j  the  clearest  examples  are  ques- 
tions 49  and  50.  No  references  are  made  to  any  of  the 
authors  from  whose  works  he  got  his  questions. 

Reverend  John  Cotton  of  Boston  gave  aid  and  comfort 
to  the  spread  of  the  Roger  Williams  ideas,  by  the  publica- 
tion at  this  critical  moment  of  his  The  Bloudy  Tenent 
Washed  and  Made  W^hite  in  the  Blood  of  the  Lafnby  May 
15,  1647,  in  reply  to  The  Bloudy  Tenent  of  Persecution 
and  the  three  other  pamphlets  by  Williams,  and  in  answer 
to  the  reports  Williams  spread  about  New  England  during 
his  stay  in  London,  such  as  his  conversations  reported  by 
Baillie,  Edwards,  Goodwin  and  others.  Cotton  defended 


^"The  Sword  of  the  Christian  magistrate  supported,  March  9,   1646, 
E-516,  pp.  83,  97,  152,  168. 


ROCKR  WILLIAMS  AND  THE  EKGLISH  REVOLUTION  31 

and  explained  the  banishment  of  Williams  from  the  Bay- 
refuted  the  charges  against  and  defended  the  actions  of 
the  Bay  Theocracy  condemned  by  Gorton,  Williams,  and 
others  whom  they  banished  j  attacked  Williams  and  the 
Providence  Plantations  for  their  religious  and  civil  liber- 
ties j  stressed  the  blasphemies  and  rebelliousness  and  quar- 
relsomeness of  Williams  in  not  obeying  the  church-elders 
of  Boston  j  attacked  Williams  for  being  a  Seeker  and  a 
fomentor  of  revolution.  The  honesty  and  integrity  of  Cot- 
ton is  questionable,  and  his  motives  were  indeed  sinister — 
this  is  best  illustrated  in  his  giving  the  lie  direct  to  Wil- 
liams for  saying  that  the  people  of  New  England  had  not 
done  an  Indian  missionary  work  when  they  claimed  to 
have  come  for  that  purpose.  In  1646  Rev.  John  Kliot 
began  his  missionary  w^orkj  Williams  spoke  and  wrote  his 
charges  against  the  Bay  Church  in  1643  and  1644.  The 
action  of  Cotton  shows  his  unscrupulousness  for  his  party. 
Fortunately,  he  was  not  believed  in  England  by  such  men 
as  Baillie,  Edwards,  Rutherford,  Burgess,  men  who  attack 
Williams  principles  as  vicious,  yet  believed  his  word  over 
against  that  of  John  Cotton.  That  is  significant  in  the  study 
of  the  life  of  Williams.  Cotton's  entire  pamphlet  is  against 
Williams  and  his  principle  j  only  a  few  words  of  it  are  here 
needed, 

"Mr.  Williams  hath  taken  occasion  (as  is  observed  by 
some  who  are  acquainted  with  the  spirit  of  the  man)  first 
to  rise  up  against  me  (the  meanest  of  many)  in  the  exam- 
ining and  refuting  of  that  Letter"  written  by  Cotton  in 
1637.  "And  then  (as  if,  one  Mordecai  were  too  small  a 
morsel)  to  stand  forth  against  all  the  churches  and  Elders 
in  New-England,  in  his  Bloudy-Tenent ;  and  then  (as  if 
New-England  were  but  an  handful )  from  thence  to  rise  up 
against  the  choicest  Ornaments  of  two  populous  Nations, 
England  and  Scotland,  the  reverent  xA.ssembly  of  Divines, 
together  with  the  Brethren  of  the  Apology:  and  above 
them  all  to  address  himself  (according  to  his  high- 
thoughts)  to  propound  Queries  of  high  concernment  (as 


32  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

he  calleth  them)  to  the  High  and  Honorable  Court  of 
Parliament,  So  a  Bird  of  prey,  affecting  to  soar  aloft,  get- 
teth  first  upon  the  top  of  a  molehill,  and  from  thence 
taketh  his  rise  from  pole  to  tree,  till  he  hath  surmounted 
the  highest  Mountains." 

This  pamphlet  marks  the  beginning  of  the  rapid  decline 
of  Cotton's  influence  with  the  English  liberals.  His  early 
pamphlets  on  Independency  had  had  much  vogue.  But 
now  the  liberals  left  him^  several  members  of  the  Crom- 
well party  answered  Cotton  in  pamphlets  defending  the 
principles  of  Williams.  Baillie  and  others  still  believed  the 
reports  of  Williams  rather  than  the  words  of  Cotton. 
Meanwhile  Cotton  also  began  to  quarrel  with  Edwards 
and  other  supporters  of  the  Presbyterians,  and  Cotton's 
star  was  definitely  in  the  descendency. 

Now  in  1647,  The  Bloudy  Tenent  stands,  independent 
of  Roger  Williams,  as  the  clarion  call  to  liberty  and  refor- 
mation or  revolution.  Cromwell,  Lord  Fairfax,  Fleetwood, 
Harrison,  and  Ireton,  among  the  leaders  in  the  Army,  had 
allowed  the  Sectarians  preachers  liberty  of  preaching  to  the 
soldiers,  with  the  result  that  by  July  23,  1647,  pamphlets 
begin  to  speak  of  "dangerous  designs  driven  on  by  the  Sec- 
taries in  the  Army."  (Works  of  Darkness  brought  to 
light,  (Anon)  E-399.) 

Sectaries  and  maJignants  "introduce  an  universal  Lib- 
erty and  Toleration  of  all  sorts  of  false  and  heretical  opin- 
ions j  all  the  Sectaries  in  the  kingdom  labor  with  might  and 
main  to  promote  this,  in  one  Pamphlet  'tis  boldly  asserted 
.  .  .  see  Williams'  Bloody  Tenent  of  Persecution  for  cause 
of  Consciences^  and  then  the  author  quotes.  "Numerous 
pamphlets  there  are  abroad  besides  broacht  by  the  seducing 
Chaplains  of  the  Army  and  their  accomplices,"  quoting 
Mr.  Dell,  Saltmarsh,  J.  Goodwin  "and  Queries."  There 
are  an  "abundance  of  other  Pamphlets  which  cry  up  this 
their  Diana  of  Toleration  j  yea  their  Army  Chaplains  have 
so  corrupted  their  hearers  and  disciples  .  .  .  that  the  whole 
Army  now  contends  for  Toleration  by  the  Sword  in  the 


ROCKR  WILLIAMS  AND  THK  ENGLISH  KEVOLUTION  33 

Field  which  their  Teachers  could  never  make  good  by 
Arguments  either  in  press  or  print;  yea  the  whole  Army 
declares  this  to  be  the  design.'""* 

Thomas  Edwards,  who  was  greeted  as  "our  much  sus- 
pected friend  .  .  .  Scavenger  General,  throughout  Great 
Britain,  New  England  ....  The  Grand  Reformer,"  in  a 
pamphlet  against  liberty  of  conscience  covering  over  two 
hundred  pages  again  attacks  Williams  as  the  chief  of  the 
offenders.  (A  Treatise  against  Toleration  and  pretended 
Liberty  of  Conscience,  June  28,  1647.  E-394.)  John 
Goodwin  is  the  chief  target  of  Edwards  for  his  influence 
as  a  leader  in  England.  More  than  a  dozen  references  are 
made  to  Williams  and  The  Bloudy  Tenant  some  of  them 
covering  many  pages.  In  a  ridiculous  display  of  pedantry, 
Edwards  brings  against  Williams  and  fellow  liberals  argu- 
ments from  Plutarch,  Aristotle,  Plato,  Calvin,  Melanch- 
thon,  Beza,  Peter  Martyr,  Zanchius,  Bullinger,  Musculus, 
Chemnitius,  Gerardus,  Gerson,  Bucanus,  Cartwright,  Sen- 
eca, Aurelius,  Livy,  Diogenes  Leartius,  Herodotus,  Xeno- 
phon,  H.  Parker  and  others.  Martin  Luther  and  St. 
Augustine  were  here  on  the  side  of  the  liberals.  I  shall 
quote  only  a  few^  short  passages  to  show  with  whom  and  in 
what  rank  Williams  is  placed  by  Edwards: 

"This  decree  of  Artaxerxes  had  been  according  to  Mas- 
ter Goodwin,  The  Bloudy  Tenent,  and  other  Libertine's 
opinion,  such  a  wicked  and  bloudy  doctrine." 

The  calling  of  the  Old  Testament  as  typical  "this  thread 
runs  all  along  through  their  works.  M.S.,  The  Bloudy 
Tenent,  The  Ancient  Bond  or  Liberty  of  Conscience  stated y 
The  Storming  of  Antichrist  with  many  other  phices."  This 
discussion  covers  pp.  1  7ff. 

"Grand  Patrons  of  Toleration,  Munus  Celsus  Senesis, 
Acontius,  The  Bloudy  Tenent,  M.S.,  Hagiomastix  to  make 
void  these  places  of  Scripture,"  Exodus,  Leviticus,  Deu- 


'Refcrs  to  The  Army's  Humble  Remonstrance,   June,   1647. 


34  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

teronomy,  these  commands  abrogated  by  Christ  about 
"magistrate's  power  de  facto  in  matters  of  religion." 

"In  their  Libertines  Pamphlets,  as  Bloudy  Tenant, 
Storming  of  Antichrist ,  Co?npassionate  Scnnaritan,  Justifi- 
cation of  Toleration,  Queres  upon  the  Ordinances  for  pre- 
vention of  Heresies.^* 

And  that  Williams  maintains  "that  captial  punishment 
in  Israel  is  in  type  only." 

The  entire  Treatise  by  Edwards  is  a  tacit  admission  of 
the  fact  that  the  Bloudy  Tenent  has  become  the  embodi- 
ment of  the  demands  of  the  Army,  the  citizens  and  the 
Sectarians  in  England  against  the  claims  of  the  Scotch 
Covenanters  and  their  stranglehold  upon  English  public 
and  religious  life.  Three  days  later  appeared  a  pamphlet 
with  a  picturesque  title  of  The  Last  Will  and  Testament 
of  Sir  Janies  Independent,  ( Anon.  July  31,1 647,  E-400  ), 
who  was  dangerously  sick  of  a  disease,  "My  body  I  give  to 
the  Earth,  which  I  ordain  to  be  wrapped  or  shrowded  in 
twelve  Sheets  of  Paper  sewed  together,  taken  out  of  the 
Books  heretofore  written  by  my  dear  Sons,  to  wit.  The 
Arra^nguient  of  Mr.  Persecution,  Bloudie  Tenent,  and 
Comfort  for  Believers,^''  and  nine  others.  The  palbearers 
were  to  be  Wiet,  Sarmon,  Tue,  Lambe,  Hawes,  Hobson, 
Burton,  Simpson,  Jo.  Goodwin,  Saltmarsh,  and  Hanserd 
Knollys. 

Two  pamphlets,  one  by  Cartwright,  ( The  magistrate's 
authority  in  matters  of  religion,  Aug.  12,  1647.  E-401  ) 
the  other  by  Rutherford,  (A  survey  of  Spiritual  anitchrist, 
Nov.  1647.  E-415)  appeared  against  the  Army  and  Sec- 
tarians. They  both  deal  with  the  immediate  civil  crisis; 
neither  mentions  Williams,  except  by  implication.  Both 
writers  refer  to  Cotton's  The  Bloudy  Tenent  Washed  and 
the  principles  of  Williams,  as  well  as  to  other  pamphlets 
which  deal  with  him.  Rutherford  has  this  to  say  of  Crom- 
well and  others,  page  257, 

Cromwell  has  no  "spiritual  unity  in  the  Army"  but 
Socinians,  Arminians,  Anabaptists,  followers  of  Saltmarsh, 


R0(;KR  WILLIAMS  AND  THK  KNOLISH   RF.VOLUTIOX  35 

Mr.  Dell  and  Seekers.  These  men  disclaim  in  print  both 
"Presbytery  and  Independency."  The  Independents  in 
Old  England  are  not  like  "those  in  N.  England,"  but  hold 
"other  unsound  and  corrupt  tenets  especially  that  of  Lib- 
erty of  Conscience,  which  bordereth  with  Atheism,  Scepti- 
cism, and  with  all  faiths,  and  no  faith." 

The  first  part  of  the  Civil  War  for  the  supremacy  of 
Parliament  and  the  Presbyterians,  covered  the  years  of 
1642  to  1646.  The  second  period  extended  from  1646  to 
the  death  of  the  King,  January  30,  1649.  The  second 
period  was  a  three-cornered  quarrel:  the  Scotch  Presb}'- 
terians  in  control  of  Parliament  with  the  Sectarians  and  the 
Levellers,  and  the  Royalists  against  both  the  former.  The 
growth  of  the  idea  of  Toleration  among  the  Royalists  is 
expressed  by  Jeremy  Taylor's  The  Liberty  of  Prophesy- 
ing, June,  1647,  in  which  he  stands  for  toleration  in 
religion. 

Lilburn  was  released  from  the  Tower  in  1647,  and 
became  active  in  the  Army  and  for  civil  liberty.  In  Regal 
Tyranny  discovered  (Jan.  6,  1647.  E-370)  he  declared: 
"the  people  in  general  are  the  original  legislators  and  the 
true  fountains  ...  of  all  just  power" j  all  power  of  the 
House  of  Commons  is  "merely  derivative  and  bounded 
within  this  tacit  commission  to  act  only  for  the  good  of 
those  that  betrusted  them";  and  that  it  is  lawful  to  rebell 
against  tyrants.  All  of  which  Williams  stated  in  The 
Bloudy  Tenenty  1644  (See  quotations  above. )  These  same 
ideas  are  restated  again  in  four  pamphlets:  The  Compas- 
sionate Samaritan^  (Thomas  Bedford,  Jan.  1647,  E-370  ), 
Hagiomastix,  or  the  scourge  of  the  saints,  (  John  Goodwin, 
Feb.  5,  1647.  E-374),  The  Independent  Catechism, 
(Richard  Burton,  June,  1647.  E-1182  ),  and  Four  Delib- 
erate and  Solid  Queries.  (Anon.  June  3,  1647.  E-516. ) 

Three  men  who  had  been  closely  associated  with  Wil- 
liams in  1643  and  1644,  published  tracts  in  defense  of  the 
Leveller  opinions.  I  shall  quote  from  the  pamphlet  by 
Richard  Overton,  prisoner  of  Newgate  and  author  of  the 


36  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

pamphlet  The  Arraignment  of  Mr.  Persecution ^  in  1645, 
in  defense  of  Williams,  of  which  several  editions  were 
published  to  meet  the  popular  demands.  On  July  17, 
1647,  Overton  published  An  Appeal  (E-398.  Br.  Mus.j 
"for  the  Liberties  and  freedom  of  England."  The  doc- 
trines of  this  book  are  people's  sovereignty,  full  liberty  of 
conscience,  natural  Rights,  principles  of  Right  Reason, 
right  of  rebellion,  and  "equity  of  law  is  superior  to  the 
letter  of  the  law," 

"all  betrusted  power  if  forfeit  falls  into  the  hands  of 
the  betrusters,  as  the  proper  center"  and  its  forfeiture 
allows  for  non-obedience. 

"By  natural  birth  all  men  are  equal  and  alike  born  to 
like  propriety  and  freedom,  every  man  by  natural  instinct 
aiming  at  his  own  safety  and  weal  .  .  .  for  every  individual 
in  nature  is  given  an  individual  propriety  by  nature,  not  to 
be  invaded  or  usurped  by  any  .  .  .  for  every  one  as  he  is 
himself  hath  self  propriety." 

Overton,  like  Williams,  has  here  the  Jefferson  doctrine 
complete.  How  improper  to  give  credit  to  Lilburn  alone. 
The  other  two  men  were  William  Larner  and  Henry 
Overton,  brother  to  Richard;  the  former  wrote  A  Clear 
and  full  Vindication  of  the  Artny,  and  the  latter  A  Decla- 
ration by  the  Congregational  Society  in  London.  ( Julv  12, 
1647.  E-397;  Nov.'^22,  1647.  E-416)  They  argued  the 
same  religious  and  political  doctrines  handled  in  An 
Appeal.  Full  Discourse  of  the  Poiver  of  Parliaments 
(Anon,  a  doctor  of  divinity,  July  24,  1647.  E-399)  is 
filled  with  uncredited  verbatim  quotations  from  The 
Bloudy  Tenent.  A  very  good  example  of  the  pamphleteers' 
method  of  taking  over  the  ideas  and  phraseology  from  The 
Bloudy  Tenent  is  that  of  Samuel  Richardson  in  The 
Necessity  of  Toleration.  (Sept.  17,  1647.  pp.  1-22. 
E-407.)  Since  space  does  not  allow  me  to  quote  every 
pamphlet  that  borrowed  from  Williams  this  one  example 
must  suffice,  page  15: 


ROGKR  WILLIAMS  AND  THE  ENGLISH  REVOLUTION  37 

"If  the  magistrate  be  a  Member  of  a  Church,  yet  he 
ought  to  be  excommunicated,  if  he  deserve  it. 

"Sins  of  the  Magistrate  are  hateful  and  condemned, 
Esa.  10.  1.  Mich  3\.  It  is  a  Paradox,  that  a  Magistrate 
may  be  punished  by  the  Church,  and  yet  that  they  are 
Judges  of  the  Church. 

"If  that  Religion  the  Magistrate  be  perswaded  be  true, 
he  owes  a  three-fold  duty. 

"First,  Approbation,  Esa.  49.  Rev.  21.  with  a  tencier 
respect  to  the  truth,  and  the  professor  of  it. 

"Secondly,  Personall  submission  of  his  Soule  to  the 
powers  of  Jesus  his  government.  Mat.  18.  I  Cor.  5. 

"Thirdly,  protection  of  them,  and  their  estates  from 
violence  and  injury,  Rom.  13,  to  a  false  Religion  he  owes, 

"I.  Permission  (  for  approbation  he  owes  not  to  what  is 
evil)  as  Mat.  13.  30.  for  publick  peace  and  quietness. 

"2  Protection  of  the  Persons  of  his  subjects  (though  of 
a  false  worship)  that  no  injury  be  offered  to  the  persons 
or  goods  of  any,  Rom.  13.'""' 

Mr.  Richardson  uses  no  means  to  show  that  it  is  not  his 
own.  This  is  copied  from  Williams  even  to  the  periods  and 
commas  and  parentheses.  Many  of  the  Sectarians  and  Lev- 
ellers followed  similar  methods  with  Williams,  Goodwin, 
Lilburn,  Overton  and  others j  and  they  in  turn  from 
Williams. 

By  the  summer  of  1647,  the  Presbyterians  found  that 
the  Army  which  they  had  hoped  to  continue  as  their  tool 
for  oppressions  was  rearing  to  become  a  menace  and  mas- 
ter. Their  party  pamphleteers  began  to  talk  of  the  Army 
with  reference  to  "examples  of  Jack  Straw,  Wat  Tyler, 
Cade,  Ket,  the  Cornish,  Kentish,  Northern  Rebels  and 
their  Confederates."  The  Sectaries  "whose  religion  is 
Rebellion,  and  whose  faith  is  Faction"  were  now  in  control 
of  the  Army.  Cromwell  and  General  Fairfax  had  a  difficult 
task  steering  a  course  between  King  and  Parliament  and 


^Sce  77?^  Blotitly  Tenent,  p.  214  for  this  same  material. 


38  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

the  uneasy  Army.  The  unrest  and  dissatisfaction  of  the 
Army  is  hrst  expressed  by  "A  Humble  Representation," 
June  4,  and  "A  Solemn  Engagement,"  June  5,  under  the 
leadership  of  Lilburn,  Overton,  Walwin,  and  others.  On 
July  15,  Ireton  made  the  first  deliberate  attempt  to  set 
forth  a  political  program  for  the  Army  in  "A  Declaration 
of  the  Army."  On  July  18,  in  "The  Heads  of  Proposals" 
Ireton  prepared  a  constitutional  scheme  for  the  Council  of 
the  Army.  And  on  October  9,  Lilburn  presented  a  scheme 
in  "The  Case  of  the  Army."  Civil  theories  were  plentiful. 

"The  Case  of  the  Army"  has  perhaps  been  overesti- 
mated for  its  originality.  Lilburne  asked  for  a  "paramount 
law"  or  constitution,  biennial  Parliaments,  manhood  suf- 
frage without  regard  to  rank  or  wealth  or  birth,  suprem- 
acy of  Parliament  in  legislation  and  control  of  officials, 
abrogation  of  King  and  Peers.  For  said  he,  "all  power  is 
originally  and  essentially  in  the  whole  body  of  the  people 
of  this  nation,"  and  that  "their  free  choice  or  consent  by 
their  representors  is  the  only  original  foundation  of  all 
just  government."  In  all  this  Lilburn  has  not  done  more 
than  restated  Tlie  Bloudy  Tenent  doctrine  which  I  have 
quoted  in  the  early  portion  of  the  paper. 

"The  Agreement  of  the  People"  appeared  on  Nov.  3, 
1647  and  was  the  work,  so  it  is  believed,  of  Ireton,  Lil- 
burn, R.  Overton,  and  Walwin,  the  authors  of  the  previous 
remonstrances.  "The  Agreement"  combined  the  demands 
of  "Heads  of  Proposals"  and  "Case  of  the  Army"  turned 
into  a  sort  of  civil  constitution.  It  contained  four  articles. 
I.  Proportional  Representation  in  Parliament;  II.  Disso- 
lution of  Parliament  on  definite  date;  III.  Biennial  Parlia- 
ments; IV.  Rights  of  Parliament:  1.  a  single  house,  to  be 
supreme;  2.  to  make,  amend,  and  repeal  laws;  3.  to  erect 
and  abolish  offices  and  courts,  control  officials,  conduct  for- 
eign affairs,  and  make  peace  and  war.  There  were  five 
reservations:  1.  religious  liberty;  2.  no  impressment  for 
war;  3.  no  penalty  for  part  in  Civil  War;  4.  equal  justice; 
5.  equal  laws,  aimed  at  safety  and  well-being  of  people. 


R()(;i:R  WILLIAMS  AXD  THK  kn(;lish  kkvolutiox  39 

These  ideas  and  principles  have  been  lauded  as  unprece- 
dented. Let  us  look  at  Providence  Plantations  in  1647. 

Every  principle  underlying  "The  Agreement"  was 
expressed  in  The  Bloudy  Tefient  in  1644,  and,  as  we  have 
seen,  by  others  frequently  afterwards.  In  May,  1647,  the 
democratic  federated  Commonwealth  of  Providence  Plan- 
tations was  organized.  (Richman:  Rhode  Islandy  Vol.  I 
and  II.)  It  was  created  by  the  people  who  remained  the 
sovereign  of  the  states  they  formulated  a  constitution, 
erected  a  civil  government  responsible  to  them  directly; 
by  manhood  suffrage  they  elected  the  representatives  and 
a  "President"  of  the  civil  state.  The  constitution  defined 
democracy,  individualism,  natural  and  civil  rights  and  lib- 
erties by  a  bill  of  rights,  and  set  limits  to  state  interference 
with  the  individual  and  a  sphere  of  state  functions,  and 
granted  liberty  of  conscience.  Providence  Plantations  had 
a  great  deal  more  rights  and  liberties  assured  to  the  people, 
than  was  demanded  by  the  Agreement. 

In  Providence  Plantations  furthermore  the  democratic 
state  was  an  independent  State  making  peace  and  war  and 
conducting  foreign  affairs.  Here  was  in  reality  the  Utopia 
of  the  English  Levellers.  Their  "Agreement  of  the  Peo- 
ple" was  a  dream  of  visionaries  in  England,  granting  less 
liberties  than  was  actualh'  enjoyed  by  the  individuals  in 
the  colony  of  Roger  Williams.  Could  it  not  have  been 
possible  that  the  framers  of  "The  Agreement"  had  before 
them  the  Constitution  of  Providence  Plantations  as  their 
model : 

The  Presbyterians  did  not  remain  idle  meanwhile.  On 
December  4th  appeareci  two  pamphlets  attacking  the 
Agreement.  The  Ar))iy  Anatomi'zed  (Anon.  1647.  E-419) 
calls  it  the  work  of  Sectaries,  Independents  and  schimat- 
ics  in  their  great  design  of  "a  Universal  Toleration  and 
Liberty  of  Conscience  for  all  men,  in  all  religions."  The 
Grand  Design  (Anon.  Dec.  8,  E-419)  calls  it  the  work  of 
Cromwell  and  Ireton  in  their  "plausible  pretences  of  Lib- 
erty, Freedom,  indempty,  and  security."  A  Pair  of  Spec- 


40  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

tacles  for  the  C  it  tie  (Anon.  Dec.  4.  E-419)  calls  it  the 
work  of  "profane  and  ignorant  persons  for  the  ruin  of 
Religion,  all  Government,  order,  confounding  all  distinc- 
tion of  men."  "The  Design  hatched  by  Philip  Nye,  Tom 
and  John  Goodwin,  and  the  rest  of  the  Rabble."  That 
Cromwell  and  Ireton  are  the  heroes  of  the  Rabble.  That 
the  solders  were  "instructed  in  their  erroneous  Tenets"  by 
the  sectarian  ministers,  "Trunpeters  of  Rebellion"  j  "that 
foggy,  cock-brained,  blustering.  Hocus-pocus  Peters," 
Saltmarsh,  Dell,  Erbury,  Walwin,  Hewson,  Clarkson,  and 
many  other  sectarians.  And  may  it  not  have  been  largely 
the  work  of  these  sectarian  ministers  who  spread  the  Lev- 
eller ideas  by  their  preaching  and  teaching,  rather  than  the 
pamphleteers  themselves. 

Whatever  part  Williams  had  in  supplying  the  inspira- 
tion and  principles  for  the  Leveller  movement,  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  the  work  of  carrying  on  the  rebellion  fell 
not  to  Williams  but  by  those  who  lived  and  worked  in 
England  for  the  Leveller  cause.  Williams  was,  however, 
able  to  practice  in  the  American  wilderness  the  principles 
which  the  visionaries  failed  to  establish  in  England. 

The  enemies  of  Williams  and  his  doctrine  in  Massachu- 
setts Bay  did  all  in  their  power  to  undermine  the  good 
name,  honesty  and  influence  of  William  in  both  old  and 
new  England.  The  Way  of  Congregational  Curches 
Cleared  by  John  Cotton  appeared  February  9,  1648, 
(E-426.  Br.  Mus.  pp.  18,  21,  27,  28ff)  and  contained 
three  references  to  Williams  purposing  to  question  his 
integrity: 

"I  have  lately  maintained  in  my  reply  unto  Mr.  Wil- 
liams his  Answer  to  my  I>etter"  that  I  was  against  rigid 
separation. 

"And  of  late  (through  the  Grace  of  Christ)  one  of  our 
fellow  Elders.  Mr.  Eliot,  Teacher  at  Rocksbury,  having 
gotten  the  knowledge  of  the  Indian  language  preacheth  to 
them  every  week:  one  week  to  one  congregation  on  the 
fourth  day,  to  the  other  on  the  sixt  the  week  following." 


ROC.KR  WTLLTAMS  AND  THK  ENCLISH   KKVOLl'TION  41 

Cotton  says  they  willing  give  ear,  reform  vicious  habits, 
are  trained  up  in  English  families  and  in  their  schools. 

In  reference  to  Bloudy  Tenent,  Cotton  calls  Williams' 
words  "such  arrogant  comparisons  are  as  smoke  in  God's 
nostrils,  Isa.  65. S.  the  first  born  of  vanity,  and  the  first  step 
to  apostacie." 

"Mr.  Williams  is  too  too  credulous  of  surmises  and 
reports  brought  him  and  too  too  confident  in  divulging  of 
them." 

In  reply  to  Williams'  statement  to  Baillie  that  Cotton 
intended  to  leave  Boston  in  the  Hutchinson  controversy, 
he  says  "if  ever  I  had  removed,  I  intended  Quinipyack, 
and  not  Aquidncck."  On  Pages  79  and  following.  Cotton 
tries  to  descredit  Williams'  work  among  the  Indians  and 
exalt  Eliot. 

Another  Bay  settler  who  helped  to  keep  Williams  before 
the  English  reading  public  was  Rev.  Thomas  Shepard  in 
The  clear  sun-shine  of  the  Gosfel  breakings  upon  the 
Indians  in  New  England.  (March  8,  1648.  £-431).  He 
also  took  part  in  the  campaign  of  the  Bay  clergymen  to 
discredit  Williams  and  exalt  Eliot  before  the  Board  of 
Indian  missions  corporation  at  Cooper  Hall,  London.  The 
words  of  this  worthy  minister  tell  their  object.  Mr.  Wil- 
liams reported  when  in  England  in  1643  and  1644,  that 
the  New  England  churches  had  been  neglecting  their  orig- 
inal intention  of  converting  the  Indians.  This  report  caused 
much  comment  and  numerous  complaints  to  reach  Boston, 
John  Eliot  began  his  mission  work  as  a  reply  to  the  chal- 
lenge froni  Williams.  In  1648  Shepard  wrote  that  they 
have  twenty-nine  orders  of  agreement,  Feb.  1648,  by  the 
Inciians  of  Concord,  the  orders  were  prepared  by  Capt. 
Seward,  Puritans  using  the  military  to  convert  the  Indians. 
This  showed,  remarked  Shepard  very  plainly  the  good 
work  of  the  Bay  Elders. 

"Mr.  Eliot  excells  any  other  of  the  English" — this  to 
counteract  Williams. 

Eliot  admitted  the  Indians  listen  to  him  because  "the 


42  RHODE   ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

better  sort  of  them  perceiving  how  acceptable  this  was  to 
the  English,  both  to  magistrates,  and  all  good  people." 

The  diabolical  intent  of  Rev.  Shepard  in  this  pamphlet 
appears  on  page  3 1 :  "Mr.  Eliot's  conference  with  a  Narra- 
gansett  Sachem  a  sober  man  this  year^  after  that  he  had 
taught  this  Sachem  the  Law  of  God,  and  had  shewn  him 
the  means  of  salvation  by  Christ  j  he  then  asked  him  if  he 
did  know  and  understand  those  things?  .  .  .  He  then  asked 
him,  why  he  did  not  learn  of  Mr.  Williams  who  hath 
lived  among  them  divers  years?  and  he  soberly  answered 
that  they  did  not  care  to  learn  of  him,  because  he  is  no 
good  man  but  goes  out  and  works  upon  the  Sabbath  day." 
Rev.  Shepard  added,  he  gave  this  "to  shew  what  the  ill 
example  of  English  may  do." 

But  the  ministers  of  England  were  far  more  anxious  to 
cry  down  Williams,  than  ever  his  beloved  brethren  in 
Massachusetts  Bay.  On  December  14,  1647,  the  ministers 
of  the  Province  of  London,  called  Sion  College,  met  in 
Alphage  parish  within  Cripplegate,  London,  at  their  Lon- 
don headquarters  and  prepared  A  Testimony  to  the  Truth 
of  Jesus  Christ  .  .  .  "against  the  errors,  heresies  and  blas- 
phemies . . .  being  collected  out  of  their  authors  own  books." 
The  length  of  the  pamphlet  was  something  more  than 
thirty-five  pages.  Page  17  has  the  denunciation  of  the 
Seekers j  page  18,  of  Williams'  errors  against  lawful  oaths 
with  extracts  from  Master  Cotton'' s  Letter  Examined; 
page  22,  of  his  errors  of  Toleration  "under  the  grossly 
abused  notion  of  Liberty  of  Conscience"  with  extracts  from 
Queries  of  Highest  Consideration,  and  The  Bloudy  Ten- 
ent ;  and  pages  26  to  35  are  given  to  a  general  denunciation 
of  errors  advocated  by  Williams.  Samuel  Gorton,  J.  Good- 
win, and  the  other  Sectarians  also  received  their  share  of 
attention.  The  effect  of  all  these  errors  declared  the  Testi- 
mony was  that, 

"Instead  of  a  Reformation  ...  we  have  a  Deformation 
in  Religion:;  in  a  word  instead  of  extirpation  of  Heresie, 
Schism,  Prophaneness,  etc.,  we  have  such  an  impudent  and 


R()(;|-.K  WII.I.rAMS  AND  THI".  KX(;LISH   RI'AOI.l'TTOX  43 

general  enuiidation  of  all  the  evils,  that  multitudes  are  not 
ashamed  to  press  and  plead  for  a  public,  formal,  and  uni- 
\ersal  Toleration," 

The  "Sion  College"  manifestation,  says  C.  B.  in  his 
pamphlet  Sion  College,  What  it  is,  (  May  24,  1648.  E-444. 
See  also  John  Goodwin's  pamphlet,  Sion  College  Msited, 
E-425. )  is  the  ecclesiastical  view  of  the  London  clergy,  the 
Assembly  of  Divines,  and  the  Presbyterian  Parliament, 
and  their  "acts  of  late  for  suppressing  errors,  heresies, 
blasphemies  and  Sectaries." 

The  ministers  of  the  provincial  parishes  in  England  now 
hastened  to  uphold  the  Testimony  of  Sion  College.  In  the 
Thomasin  Collection  of  the  British  Museum  are  the  pam- 
phlets of  fifteen  parishes  outside  of  London,  representing 
about  eight-hundred  ministers  who  added  their  Testi- 
monies to  that  of  Sion  College  against  Roger  Williams,  his 
Blondy  Tene7it  and  other  pamphlets,  and  the  other  Sec- 
taries. The  pamphlets  make  specific  references  to  Williams 
and  his  books.  \n  other  words  by  the  beginning  of  1648, 
the  name  of  Roger  Williams  was  known  throughout  all 
the  Mid-lands  and  northern  England  to  at  least  800  min- 
isters of  the  Presbyterian  party. 

These  Testimonies  against  the  errors,  heresies,  and  blas- 
phemies, were  published,  and  addressed  the  Sion  College 
in  support  of  their  Testimony:  The  Testimony  of  Dec.  14, 
1647  was  signed  by  S2  London  ministers;  A  Representa- 
tion to  the  General  and  his  Council  of  War,  Jan.  1  8,  1648, 
E-538,  by  47  ministers;  by  the  Ministers  of  Banbury  in 
Oxen  and  Brackley,  Northampton,  Jan.  25,  E-540,  19 
ministers;  b\-  the  Ministers  of  Lancaster,  March  3,  E-434, 
84  ministers;  by  the  Warwickshire  ministers,  March  16, 
E-434,  43  ministers;  \'indiciae  \'eritatis.  Ministers  of 
West  Riding,  Co.  York,  April  6,  E-444,  41  ministers;  by 
the  Ministers  of  Essex,  May  2,  E-438,  132  ministers;  by 
the  Ministers  of  Salop,  May  16,  E-442,  57  ministers;  by 
the  Ministers  of  Northampton,  May  11,  E-441,  69  min- 
isters; by  the  Ministers  of  Norfolk  and  Norwich,  June  9, 


44  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

E-447,  40  ministers  j  by  the  Ministers  of  Co.  Wilts,  June 
26,  E-449,  83  ministers;  by  the  Ministers  of  Devon, 
June  27,  E-450,  73  ministers;  by  the  Ministers  of  Staf- 
ford, July  14,  E-453,  38  ministers;  by  the  Ministers  of 
Co.  Suffolk,  July  19,  E-453,  39  ministers;  by  the  Minis- 
isters  of  Somerset,  Aug.  9,  E-457,  69  ministers.  I  am  cer- 
tain that  I  missed  several  of  the  pamphlets,  but  this  gives 
a  fair  view  of  the  attitude  of  the  English  clergy  under 
the  Presbyterian  establishment.  According  to  other  pam- 
phleteers these  clergy  had  been  Anglican  clergy  before  the 
Presbyterian  Parliament.  If  this  is  true,  can  anyone  wonder 
why  Williams  was  condemning  the  Hireling  Ministry  as 
none  of  Christ's. 

A  Glass  for  the  Times  (Anon.  July  29,  1648.  E-455) 
appeared  in  the  summer  of  1648,  giving  two  quotations 
from  the  books  of  Williams  and  condemning  his  errors  on 
lawful  oaths  and  his  error  of  full  liberty  of  conscience. 
Another  pamphlet  The  Hunting  of  the  Fox  or  the  Sec- 
taries (Aug.  27,  1648,  E-457)  said  that  the  cry  of  the 
sectary  is  faith,  religion,  conscience,  liberty,  reformation  or 
revolution.  Presbyterianism  was  now  slowly  being  over- 
come by  the  sectarians;  and  in  a  few  more  months,  they 
will  be  driven  out  of  Parliament  by  the  Army,  and  the 
Rump  Parliament  of  Independents  will  take  over  civil 
authority. 

Two  pamphlets  that  have  no  direct  bearing  on  Williams 
are  of  interest  here.  The  first  is  The  Reasons  of  the  Dis- 
senting Brethren  against  Presbyterial  government.  (  May 
6,  1648,  E-439.  by  the  seven  brethren)  The  book  in  great 
length  discusses  their  difference  with  the  Assembly  of 
Divines  of  which  they  are  members,  on  the  policy  of  Pres- 
byterian state-church  government.  The  seven  brethren 
were  intimate  friends  of  Roger  Williams:  Tho.  Goodwin, 
Jer.  Burroughs,  W.  Carter  were  the  least  liberal;  Phil 
Nye,  Sidrack  Simpson,  Williams  Bridges  and  Mr.  Green- 
hill  took  part  with  Williams  in  religious  meetings  in  and 
around   London    in    1643-44.    The   other   pamphlet   has 


KOGKR  WILLIAMS  AND  THK  ENGLISH   KK\()LUT10N  45 

political  interest.  Good  English  or  the  safest  zvay  of  Settle- 
ment, May  8,  1648  (E-441.  Br.  Mus.)  shows  that  the 
cause  has  split  into  the  Presbyterian  and  Independent  fac- 
tions, and  the  Independents  divided  into  the  superior 
Army  officers  who 

"aim  to  be  an  aristocratical  form  of  government  and  ( in 
plain  ternis )  to  declare  themselves  and  their  select  con- 
federates Free  States. 

"  The  other  party  called  Levellers  consist  only  of  some 
colonels  and  commanders  of  inferior  rank  in  the  Army, 
w^ith  whom  joined  some  few  members  of  the  Commons 
House,  and  a  confused  Rabble  of  Sectaries  in  the  Army, 
city,  suburbs,  and  some  parts  of  the  country.  Their  aim  is 
at  a  Democratical  form  of  government  investing  the  power 
in  the  people;  so  that  this  wild  Faction  ex-prof esso  are 
enemies  alike  both  to  Monarch  and  Aristocracy  and  will  be 
governed  neither  by  Kings  nor  States." 

However  nearly  that  analysis  was  correct,  the  events  of 
early  1649  bear  out  the  prophecy.  The  Rump  Parliament 
formed  by  the  Army  under  Cromwel],  Whalley,  Lilburn, 
and  Ireton,  set  up  a  high  court  anci  tried  the  King  and 
condemned  him  to  the  block.  He  was  executed  January  30, 
1649.  The  Presbyterians  were  driven  out  of  power  at  the 
point  of  the  ba\'onet.  In  February,  Lilburn,  Overton,  Wal- 
win.  Sawyer,  and  Prince,  the  leaders  of  the  Levellers,  were 
thrown  into  prison  by  the  Rump  Parliament.  The  Inde- 
pendents in  control  of  the  Rump  Parliament  were  headed 
by  Ireton,  Cromwell,  Sir  Henry  \^ine  and  Oliver  St.  John. 
The  Parliament,  wrote  Feake,  in  1654,  ( .1  Beam  of  Light, 
E-737)  tried  "to  introduce  the  Government  of  a  Free- 
State"  and  to  "engage  the  Army  and  the  Nation  in  this 
New  Establishment,  without  King  or  House  of  Peers." 
In  1653,  the  Lord  Protector  Cromwell  "usurped  the 
supreme  ci\'il  Power  to  secure  and  to  establish  it  to  him- 
self and  to  his  family"  and  introduced  a  "hated  Tyranny 
of  a  New  Edition." 

When  the  Le\'ellers  realized  that  their  leaders  were 


46  RHODE   ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

thrown  into  prison  by  the  Rump  Parliament  and  that  their 
principles  were  rejected  by  Cromwell  and  his  party,  a  new 
flood  of  pamphlets  came  forward  for  liberty.  The  women 
of  London  petitioned  for  the  release  of  the  Levellers, 
April  24.  ( To  the  Supreme  Authority  of  this  Nation, 
E-551  )  Three  pamphlets  appeared  with  a  great  deal  of 
quoted  material  from  the  pamphlets  of  Williams:  Liberty 
of  Conscience  Asserted  (Anon.  March  20,  1649.  E-548  ) 
by  laws  of  God,  nature  and  reason j  Certain  Queries  con- 
cerning Liberty  of  Conscience^  by  a  friend  of  Williams, 
Col.  Henry  Danvers,  (March  27,  E-548.  by  a  lover  of 
truth  and  just  freedom),  the  twelve  queries  are  fashioned 
on  the  Queries  of  Williams;  and  A  Discourse  of  Liberty 
of  Conscience^  (Thomas  Whitheld,  defender  of  persecu- 
tion. May  7,  1649.  E-554. ),  wherein  the  arguments  on 
both  sides  are  so  equally  laid  together  in  the  balance.  The 
thirteen  arguments  for  liberty  of  conscience  are  often  taken 
verbatim  from  the  Queries  or  Bloudy  T enent.  The  other 
pamphlets  on  Leveller  principles  go  more  afield  for  their 
ideas,  and  must  be  omitted  here. 

Two  treatises  appeared  during  the  summer  of  1 649 
written  by  learned  Presbyterian  divines.  Both  these  theo- 
logical treatises  consider  Williams  as  the  first  and  foremost 
exponent  of  liberty  of  conscience  and  general  liberty,  and 
separation  of  church  and  state.  Coming  five  years  after  the 
publication  of  The  Bloudy  Tenent  and  after  the  Presby- 
terian party  has  been  turned  out  of  Parliament,  and  from 
the  pen  of  two  such  able  theologians,  these  two  pamphlets 
are  a  good  metestick  of  the  influence  of  Williams  in  the 
revolution  now  taking  place  in  England.  A  Treatise  of 
cases  of  Conscieyice^  by  George  Gillespie,  (July  16,  1649, 
E-564)  dealt  mostly  with  the  doctrines  of  Roger  Williams 
in  pages  133  to  164,  although  implied  references  are  made 
in  the  first  133  pages.  He  quoted  Williams  as  the  only 
man  who  has  fully  and  completely  set  forth  the  principles 
of  liberty  and  of  Seekerism.  He  dealt  with  the  Bloudy 
Tenent  by  chapters,  for  example. 


ro(;kr  WILLIAMS  AND  THK  i:n(;lish  KKVOLUTIOX  47 

He  quoted  from  chapter  33:  "It  is  true,  the  mischief  of 
a  blind  Pharisee,  blind  guiciance,  is  greater  then  if  he  acted 
treasons,  murders,  etc..  And  the  loss  of  one  soul  by  his 
seduction  is  greater  mischief,  then  if  his  blew  up  Parlia- 
ment, and  cut  the  throats  of  Kings  and  Emperors,  so 
precious  is  that  iiualuable  Jewel  of  a  Soul." 

Such  passages  from  T/^e  Bloudy  Tenent  quoted  after 
the  beheading  of  the  King  on  Jan.  30,  six  months  previ- 
ously, make  Wilbams  seem  dangerous  indeed.  I  shall 
omit  the  numerous  comments  of  Gillespie  on  the  Williams 
doctrines  and  give  one  more  of  his  quotations: 

He  quoted  from  Chapter  52:  "if  Sectaries  and  Here- 
ticks  make  a  breach  of  peace,  disturb  the  State,  and  do  evil 
against  the  Common-wealth  in  civil  things,  then  the  Mag- 
istrate may  punish  and  suppress  them,"  otherwise  they 
must  be  tolerated  and  foreborn — "  also  Compassionate 
Samaritan,  p.  10;  John  the  Baptist,  p.  57;  M.  S.  to  A.  S., 
p.  S3^  54;  The  Ancient  Bounds,  Chap.  1,"  are  given  as 
upholding  the  same  principle. 

Samuel  Rutherford  of  Scotland,  Presbyterian  theolo- 
gian, in  A  Free  Disputation  against  Liberty  of  Conscience y 
devoted  no  less  than  40'  y  of  his  volume  of  over  four  hun- 
dred pages  to  a  refutation  of  the  doctrines  and  principles 
of  Roger  Williams,  and  especially  The  Bloudy  Tenent. 
The  first  reference  to  Williams  is  made  on  pages  46  ff,  on 
the  doctrine  of  the  Seekers,  and  the  last  reference  is  on 
page  410,  the  last  paragraph  of  the  treatise,  dealing  with 
Williams'  interpretation  of  Romans  chapter  13,  on  the 
principle  of  separation  of  church  and  state.  This  is  a  schol- 
arly treatise  couched  in  reserved  but  confident  language. 
The  entire  Bloudy  Tenent  in  its  theological  aspect  is  in 
turn  subjected  to  his  dogmatic  searchlights.  On  page  403, 
Rutherford  contends  that  the  pamphlet  "On  necessity  of 
Toleration,"  1647,  borrowed  from  the  Bloudy  Tenent. 

A  few^  examples  of  the  method  of  handling  Williams' 
ideas  used  by  Rutherford  may  be  in  order.  In  showing  that 
W^illiams  misinterpreted   the  parable  of  the  Tares,  and 


48  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

after  Williams  the  other  sectarians  made  the  same  error, 
Rutherford  quotes  as  authority  against  Williams  "Parisi- 
ensis,  Part  I,  Tract,  de.  Legibus,  p.  27" j  Calvin,  Beza, 
Acontius,  Gamacheus,  Suarez,  Tolmenesj  on  liberty  of 
conscience,  he  quotes  chapter  40,  and  then  refers  the  reader 
to  Goodwin,  Saltmarsh,  Del,  Samuel  Gorton,  Jeremy  Tay- 
lor, as  upholding  the  same  views  j  against  Williams  defense 
of  civil  rights  of  seducing  teachers,  Rutherford  quotes 
from  the  writings  of  Parius,  Meyer,  Calvin,  Piscator,  Beza, 
Luther,  Perkins,  Bullinger,  Augustine,  Bible,  and  Ame- 
oius.  Rutherford  attacks  The  Bloiuiy  Tenent  in  the  correct 
dogmatic  manner  with  the  weapons  of  exegetics  and  his- 
torical criticism,  making  free  use  of  Church  Fathers  and 
noted  theologians  among  the  Reformers  as  his  authority. 

The  detailed  treatment  of  The  Bloiidy  Tenant^  pub- 
lished in  1 644,  by  these  two  Presbyterian  theologians  in 
1 649  is  a  tacit  recognition  that  this  was  considered  by  the 
Presbyterians  the  most  troublesome  single  pamphlet  of 
Leveller  and  Independent  parties  now  in  control  of  the 
English  Commonwealth. 

The  poet  John  Milton,  friend  of  Williams,  on  Febru- 
ary 13,  1649,  came  out  in  defense  of  the  execution  of  King 
Charles  in  The  1' enure  of  Khigs  and  Alagistrates.  (  E-542. 
Br.  Mus. )  Milton  restated  the  Leveller  political  princi- 
ples, but  he  fell  far  short  of  their  ideal  of  liberty  of  con- 
science. He  grants  the  "lawfulness  of  raising  war  against  a 
tyrant  in  defense  of  Religion"  and  grants  only  Toleration 
of  certain  Christian  sects.  Williams  and  the  Levellers  stood 
for  full  and  absolute  liberty  of  conscience.  Milton  took  a 
half-way  position. 

After  1649  Williams  dropped  out  of  the  limelight  of 
English  political  and  religious  discussions.  His  principles 
had  become  common  public  property  without  regard  to 
man  or  party.  The  Independents  followed  the  half-way 
position  of  Milton  and  the  Five  Dissenting  Brethren  of 
1644,  granting  only  toleration  of  certain  Christian  sects. 
The  great  body  of  sectaries,  Quakers,  Ranters,  Antino- 


ROGER  WILLIAMS  AND  THE  ENGLISH  REVOLUTION  49 

mians,  Seekers,  and  others  were  still  without  the  pale  of 
religious  respectability.  The  English  Commonwealth  was 
indeed  "Tyranny  in  a  New  Edition,"  and  a  sad  disappoint- 
ment to  Williams  when  he  returned  in  Deceiriber,  1651. 

In  1651,  a  friend  of  Williams,  Isaac  Pennington,  Esq., 
took  up  the  cudgel  for  The  Fundamental  Rights  Safety, 
and  Liberty  of  the  People  (May  15,  E-629.  pp.  38).  Like 
The  Bloiidy  Tenent,  this  pamphlet  has  an  address  to 
Parliament,  and  another  to  the  people.  He  paraphrases 
and  quotes  verbatim  freely  from  Williams  without  credit- 
ing his  sources.  Williams  mentions  Mr.  Pennington  in  one 
of  his  pamphlets  in  1652. 

The  Key  Into  the  Language  of  America,  1643,  by  Roger 
Williams  attracted  wide  attention  in  England  and  on  the 
Continent  among  a  variety  of  persons.  It  was  a  chief 
authority  for  those  who  cared  to  know  about  Indian  life, 
manners,  morals  and  religion,  philologists,  historians,  and 
scholars  interested  in  the  origin  of  races,  for  their  informa- 
tion about  the  Indians  of  New  England.  Tho.  Thorough- 
good,  in  his  Jezvs  in  America,  or  probability  that  the  Amer- 
ican are  Jews,  quoted  and  paraphrased  copiously  from  the 
Key  of  Williams.  (May  6,  1651,  E-600,  Br.  Mus.  pp.  5, 
8 1 )  This  section  is  of  interest: 

"Master  R.  Williams,  one  of  the  first,  if  not  the  first  of 
our  Nation  in  New  England  that  learned  the  Language, 
and  so  prepare  toward  the  conversion  of  the  Natives,  which 
purpose  of  his  being  known,  he  was  desired  to  observe  if 
he  found  anything  Judaical  among  them,  etc.  He  kindly 
answered  to  those  letters  from  Salem  in  New  England, 
2()th  of  the  lOth  month,  more  than  ten  years  since  in  hac 
verba:  Three  things  make  me  yet  suspect  that  the  poor 
natives  came  from  the  southward,  and  are  Jewes  or  Jew^ish 
quodammode,  and  not  from  the  Northern  barbarians  as 
some  imagine.  1.  Themselves  constantly  afiirm  that  their 
Ancestors  came  from  the  southwest,  and  thither  they  all 
go  dying.  2.  They  constantly  and  strictly  separate  their 
women  in  a  little  wigwam  by  themselves  in  their  feminine 


so  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

seasons.  3.  And  beside  their  God  Kuttand  to  the  southwest, 
they  hold  that  Nanawitnawit  (a  God  overhead)  made  the 
Heavens  and  the  Earth,  and  some  tast  of  affinity  with  the 
Hebrew  have  I  found." 

The  letter  referred  to  was  written  20/10/1635  O.  S.  or 
N.  S.  December,  1635.  "And  in  New  England,  Mr.  Wil- 
liams seemed  in  other  things  to  be  extravagant,  yet  that  he 
writes  to  this  point:  For  the  Government  of  the  Common- 
wealth from  the  King,  as  supreme,  to  the  inferiors  and 
subordinate  magistrates,  my  heart  is  on  them,  as  once  Deb- 
orah spake:  and  as  the  governors  and  associates  do  them- 
selves take  oath  of  Allegiance,  so  they  have  power  by  their 
charter  to  give  the  same  to  all  that  shall  at  any  time  pass 
to  them,  or  inhabit  with  them." 

Americans  no  Jews,  by  Hamon  L'Estrange,  (Oct.  5, 
1651.  E-643.)  was  a  reply  to  Mr.  Thoroughgood  and 
tried  to  disprove  his  conclusions,  quoting  beside  the  Key  by 
Williams,  Purchas:  de  America,  Champlaiuj  Deser  Ind. 
Occid.  and  even  J.  Cotton  and  Edwin  Winslow.  The  pam- 
phlet is  full  of  uninformed  nonsense  set  out  with  much 
pedantry. 

When  Williams  returned  to  England  December  1651 
and  saw  that  the  Independents  were  no  more  tolerant  than 
had  been  the  Anglicans  or  the  Presbyterians,  he  launched 
into  a  series  of  publications  for  Liberty  of  conscience  and 
civil  rights.  In  April,  1652,  he  published  The  Bloudy 
Tenent  Yet  more  Bloudy  in  reply  to  Cotton's  The  Bloudy 
Tenent  Washed,  164-7 ;  Experiments  of  Spiritual  Life,  a 
letter  written  to  his  wife  in  the  American  wilderness;  and 
The  Hireling  Ministry  None  of  Christ^ s,  his  share  in  the 
controversy  about  civil  enforcement  of  church  tithes.  In 
May  he  wrote  a  preface  to  Major  Butler's  Fourth  Paper 
in  which  he  united  with  several  other  men,  leaders  among 
the  Independents,  in  a  request  for  full  liberty  of  conscience 
and  the  re-admission  of  the  Jews  into  England.  In  July, 
The  Examiner  Defended,  in  a  fair  and  sober  way  appeared. 
(E-675,  Thomasin  Collection,  Br.  Mus;  and  Bodl.  Eibr. 


ROGER  WILLIAMS  AND  THE  ENGLISH   REVOLUTION  51 

Bartholomew  Coll.  \^ol.  95  (7)  It  is  an  anonymous  pam- 
phlet which  I  have  identified  as  the  w^ork  of  Roger 
Williams'"  written  as  a  favor  to  a  "Senator"  and  prominent 
member  of  the  Cromwell  government.  In  May  John 
Clarke,  who  had  come  w^ith  Williams,  as  agent  from  Rhode 
Island  to  re-establish  the  Charter  of  1644,  published  /// 
Neiv  jrom  Neiv  England^  a  narrative  of  New  England's 
Persecution,  in  which  Williams  was  presented  in  his  true 
character  as  the  friend  and  helper  of  the  oppressed  and 
needy  and  a  tolerant  and  sympathetic  person,  whose  inten- 
tions and  life  were  noble  and  unselfish,  but  who  was  a 
leader  of  men. 

Three  pamphlets  written  by  men  hostile  to  the  ideas  and 
principles  for  which  Williams  stood  conclude  the  direct 
references  that  I  have  found  to  him  in  the  Thomasin  col- 
lection in  the  British  Museuni.  Thomas  Cubbet,  teacher  in 
Lynne,  Bay  colony,  replied  in  1653  to  Mr.  Clarke's  /// 
Ne'uos  in  a  book  The  Civil  Magistrate's  Power  in  Matters 
of  Religion.  (Feb.  15,  E-687)  It  is  a  weak  reply,  with 
only  a  brief  reference  to  Williams, 

"Yet  at  least,  they  must  be  Disciples  tirst,  before  Bap- 
tized, that  is,  as  Mr.  Williams  and  Mr.  Blackw^ood  and 
others  of  their  mind  expound  it.  Scholars  of  Christ.  And 
if  his  Scholars,  then  of  his  School,  the  Church  j  then  of  the 
Church  before  Baptism." 

Henry  Niccols,  in  The  Shield  Single  against  the  Szvord 
Doubledy  1653,  has  already  been  quoted.  Through  him  we 
know  Williams  had  disciples  in  England.  Robert  Baillie, 
in  1655,  came  out  with  a  defensive  pamphlet,  T/ie  Dissua- 
sive vindicated  froni  the  exceptions  of  Mr.  Cotton  and  Mr. 
Tombs  (Jan.  4,  1655,  E-234. )  Baillie  was  no  man  to 
mince  words  whether  he  attacked  a  man's  character  or  his 
ideas,  and  in  so  far  his  pamphlet  is  valuable  as  an  index  to 
the  character  of  Roger  Williams.  Baillie  w^as  deadly  set 
against  the  principles  held  by  Williams,  which  he  con- 


'■'In  paper  rcnJ  before  Modern  Language  Asso.,  Dec,    1930. 


52  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

demned  in  no  uncertain  terms.  Yet  Baillie  has  much  good 
to  say  about  the  character  of  the  man  Mr.  Williams.  Fur- 
thermore Baillie  gives,  I  feel,  a  true  character  reading  of 
Reverend  John  Cotton,  the  politician.  Baillie  refers  to  his 
conversations  with  Williams  in  1 643  and  1 644,  which  he 
verified  when  Williams  returned  to  England  in  1652. 
Consequently  Baillie's  reference  to  Williams  as  "seeking" 
refers  to  both  1 643  and  1652: 

"Mr.  Cotton's  scarce  straight  dealing  with  Mistress 
Hutchinson." 

"In  New  England  above  20,000  kept  out  of  the 
churches  ....  Many  more  than  half  of  Christians  in  New 
England  are  out  of  all  churches." 

Cotton  the  inspirer  of  Antinomianism  "still  maintains 
against  all  the  divines  of  New-England,  a  complete  union 
of  the  soul  with  Christ,  without  and  before  all  acts  of 
Faith."  Cotton  held  that  free  Grace  came  through  Faith. 

"What  I  brought  from  M.  Williams  was  only  to  clear 
and  make  probable  the  matter  of  that  Question  of  M. 
Edward  concering  Goodwin,  other  ways  the  words  them- 
selves were  clear  enough,  either  of  Mr.  Cotton  or  of  his 
eminent  friends  in  New  England.  I  know  well  the  extreme 
mistakes  of  Williams  in  the  fundamentals  of  church  ordi- 
nances: for  all  that,  I  would  be  loath  in  any  point  of  fact 
to  call  his  testimony  in  question,  without  a  great  cause,  as 
here  I  know  none.  .  .  . 

"Mr.  Cotton's  carriage  in  the  condemnation  of  Wheel- 
wright not  fair,"  according  to  Winthrop's  report  of  the 
Antinomian  controversy. 

"My  crediting  of  Mr.  Williams'  testimony  was  not  rash. 

"However  for  my  credulity  of  Mr.  Williams'  reports, 
there  was  first  my  conception  of  the  man's  great  sincerity 
though  in  a  very  erroneous  way,  and  of  his  disposition 
(which  without  fault  as  I  conceive,  might  well  have  been 
called  his  humor )  even  his  great  averseness  from  reporting 
known  lies  in  a  matter  of  fact,  of  any  living  man.  Secondly, 
I  was  the  more  made  to  trust  his  report  in  this  particular 


ROGER  WILLIAMS  AND  THE  ENGLISH  REVOLUTION  53 

because  his  circumstantiating  of  it  to  me  with  so  many 
lively  particulars  of  the  persons  who  had  imployed  him 
towards  the  savages,  to  buy  for  them  a  proportion  of  land 
for  that  new  colony's  habitation  under  Mr.  Cotton's  min- 
istry, of  the  bargain  he  intended  for  them  near  Providence 
his  own  dwelling,  of  the  means  how  that  bargain  miscar- 
ried, these  and  divers  other  circumstances  made  me  think 
the  man  not  likely  to  be  totally  mistaken  in  that  his  report. 
Certainly  Mr.  Williams  after  his  banishment,  especially 
about  the  time  of  Mrs  Hutchinson's  censure,  was  not  so 
great  a  stranger  to  the  transactions  of  Boston,  as  Master 
Cotton  would  have  him.  That  a  commission  was  given  him 
for  buying  of  land  by  some,  and  some  eminent  persons  who 
gave  it  out  that  Mr.  Cotton  was  to  accompany  them  to  that 
purchase  as  their  minister,  I  have  still  so  much  credulity  as 
to  believe  that  Mr.  Williams  in  this  did  not  countenance 
any  lye,  how  little  hand  soever  Mr.  Cotton  might  have 
had  in  that  business. 

"I  took  it  for  a  shrewd  reflection  on  Mr.  Cotton  that 
Mr.  Winthrop  and  M.  Wells  had  testified  in  print  how  all 
his  flock,  a  very  few  excepted,  had  been  infected  with  Mis- 
tress Hutchinson's  errors." 

"Mr.  Cotton  resolved  to  have  parted  from  Boston  with 
a  party  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson's  late  followers  ....  Mr.  Cot- 
ton grants  his  purpose  to  have  indeed  departed  about  that 
time  from  Boston  and  from  the  Bay." 

"My  third  testimony  was  from  Mr.  Williams,  as  one  of 
the  English  Independents  (though  he  has  gone  far  beyond 
them  in  his  new  seeking)  in  a  point  which  seems  not  to  go 
one  hair's  breadth  from  the  foundation  of  Independency. 
Williams  does  not  deny  more  than  Mr.  Cotton:  that  thou- 
sands of  persons  in  national  churches  are  to  be  counted 
saints:  only  he  says  that  every  national  church  is  of  a 
vitious  constitution,  and  that  the  body  of  people  in  national 
churches  are  irregenerate.  In  this  Mr.  Cotton  will  be  found 
also  forward  as  Williams. 

About  the  lack  of  Indian  missionary  work  in  New  Kno:- 


54  RHODE   ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

land  in  1643,  reported  by  Williams,  Baillie  says:  "the  only 
thing  which  Mr.  Cotton  brings  here  to  the  purpose  in 
hand,  is  the  labors  of  Mr,  Eliot  of  Roxburiej  but  that  does 
not  meet  my  exceptions  j  for  Mr.  Eliot's  first  attempt  was 
one  whole  year  after  my  admonition  was  printed  ...  of 
Mr.  Eliot's  success  with  the  poor  pagans,  I  heartily  rejoice 
in." 

Baillie  here  refers  to  Williams'  pamphlets  Christ ent'ing 
make  not  Christians,  1645,  and  The  Hireling  Ministry 
None  of  Christ^s,  1652.  "Certainly  Mr.  Williams  in  his 
last  piece  catches  it  (Revelation,  15:8)  greedily,  and  makes 
it  one  of  his  main  grounds  to  hinder  all  considerable 
endeavors  for  bringing  into  the  church  of  Christ  and  Tem- 
ple, either  Jews  or  Gentiles,  or  ignorant  Christians,  till  that 
Smoke  Mr.  Cotton  points  at  be  vanished,  and  after  the 
Antichrist's  fall  and  the  Jews  resurrection,  Mr.  Williams 
Apostolique  times  be  returned.  I  have  oft  pitied  that  poor 
man's  spirit,  and  have  thought  him  fitted  with  many  good 
endowments  for  eminent  service  to  Christ,  had  not  evil 
principles  put  him  out  of  the  right  way:  but  as  long  ago  his 
errors  were  many  and  terrible,  some  consequential  to  his 
first  Brownism,  others  to  his  next  Anabaptism,  and  others 
to  his  present  woful  seeking;  so  his  diversions  from 
improving  of  his  talent  among  the  Americans,  I  conceive 
it  in  a  great  part  to  have  issued  from  his  grounds  of  Inde- 
pendency, and  some  other  misconceits  on  the  Revelation." 

Not  a  bad  testimony  to  receive  from  a  political  and 
religious  enemy.  Two  more  pamphlets  deserve  mention 
here.  Thomas  Gataker,  His  Vindication  (June  6,  1653, 
E-699  )  made  an  indirect  reference  to  Williams  and  his 
fellow-colonists: 

"And  sure  it  is  that  his  Presbyterian  Government  backed 
by  the  civil  magistrates  among  ours  in  New  England,  hath 
rid  that  Plantation  of  many  Monsters  that  would  have 
been  nesting  and  rousting  among  them,  and  kept  them 
from  such  prevailing  distrubances  as  our  Churches  and 
Ministry  are  over-much  pestered  with." 


ro(;i:r  Williams  and  thk  exclish  revolution-  55 

The  Libertine  SchooPd  by  Claudius  Gilbert  (Limerick 
Ireland,  Aug.  1657.  E-923  )  has  this  to  say  about  Rhode 
Island: 

"A  short  portraicture  may  be  seen  of  it  in  Whimses 
Island  ( vulgo  Road  Island  near  N.  England,  the  Recep- 
tacle of  Notionists  )  where  confusion  and  profaneness  seem 
to  triumph  over  all  order  and  piety,  to  say  nothing  of  these 
distempered  notions.""' 

In  1671  Roger  Williams  wrote  to  Rev.  John  Cotton 
Jr.,  at  Plymouth,  in  reply  to  an  angry  letter  from  Mr. 
Cotton  in  defense  of  his  honored  father,  "  'Tis  true  my 
first  book  The  Btoudy  Tenant  was  burnt  bv  the  Presby- 
terian party  (then  prevailing)."  (Letter  of  Roger  Wil- 
liams, N.  C.  P.,  \o\.  VI,  1671. )  In  the  Bloody  Tenent  Yet 
More  Bloody,  published  eight  years  after  the  public  burn- 
nig  by  the  hangman  of  its  predecessor,  Williams  remarked 
that  "some  persons  of  no  considerable  note  nor  intelli- 
gence, have  b\-  letters  from  England,  informed  the  dis- 
cusser, that  these  Images  of  Clouts  it  hath  pleased  God  to 
make  use  of  to  stop  no  small  leaks  of  persecution  that 
lately  hath  begun  to  flow  in  upon  dissenting  consciences, 
and  (among  others)  to  Master  Cotton's  own,  and  to  the 
peace  and  quietness  of  the  Independents,  which  they  have 
so  long,  and  so  wonderfully  enjoyed."  Such  then  were  the 
personal  convictions  of  Williams  about  the  importance  of 
his  Bloiidy  Tenent;  that  it  was  a  modest  opinion  this  dis- 
cussion has,  I  hope,  made  quite  clear. 

The  Commonwealth  Pamphlets  in  the  Thomasin  Col- 
lection of  the  British  Museum  furnish  us  wnth  a  number 
of  interesting  data  about  Roger  Williams  in  connection 
with  the  English  Civil  War,  1643  to  1649.  About  sixty 
pamphlets  from  this  collection  covering  the  period  from 
1643    to    1649,   contain   references   to   Williams   and   his 


^''It  may  be  interesting  to  observe  that  the  name  Rhode  Island  was 
not  applied  to  the  colony  until  1663,  and  that  in  1657  the  name  was 
only  applied  to  the  island.   [Editor] 


56  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

pamphlets  in  relation  to  the  sectarian  and  Leveller  prin- 
ciples. More  than  twice  that  number  contribute  to  the 
spread  of  his  ideas  and  principles  either  by  referring  to 
those  principles  or  by  paraphrasing  or  quoting  verbatim 
from  his  pamphlets  without  giving  the  source  of  their 
material.  From  these  pamphlets  it  becomes  clear  that  Wil- 
liams was  closely  associated  during  his  visits  to  England  in 
1643-44  and  1652-54,  with  the  leading  men  among  the 
sectarians  and  Independents,  and  was  personally  acquainted 
with  the  leading  Presbyterians  in  the  Assembly  of  Divines 
and  in  Parliament.  His  pamphlets,  principles  and  charm- 
ing address  were  as  well  known  to  the  Presbyterians  as  to 
the  Independents  and  Sectarians.  Those  in  England  who 
denounced  his  religious  and  civil  doctrines  most  vigorously 
found  Williams  so  "lovely  in  his  carriage"  with  such 
"great  sincerity"  and  winsome  conversation  that  they  held 
him  in  high  esteem  personally,  and  even  defended  his 
character  against  the  sinister  motives  of  the  New  England 
clergy.  In  spite  of  the  concerted  efforts  of  the  Reverends 
John  Eliot,  John  Cotton,  William  Shepard  and  their 
Christian  brethren  in  the  Bay  to  discredit  the  early  mis- 
sionary work  of  Roger  Williams  and  exalt  that  of  John 
Eliot  carried  on  by  the  aid  of  the  militia,  the  leading 
Presbyterians  and  Independents  continued  to  believe  Wil- 
liams the  one  outstanding  preacher  to  the  Indians  and 
Indian  authority.  The  leading  men  in  England  suspected 
the  motives  that  prompted  the  "Sun-shine"  pamphlets  on 
Indian  missions  whenever  they  implied  an  attack  on  the 
integrity  of  Williams.  From  the  appearance  of  The 
Arraignment  of  Mr.  Persecution,  1645,  by  Richard  Over- 
ton, Newgate  prison,  to  the  Free  Disputation,  1649,  by 
Rev.  Samuel  Rutherford  of  Scotland,  the  Bloudy  Tenent 
was  given  a  prime  place  among  the  Sectarian  and  Leveller 
pamphlets.  Edwards,  Paget,  Baillie,  Baxter,  Saltmarsh, 
and  Niccols,  each  maintained  that  Williams  was  the 
founder  of  the  English  Seekers.  Richard  Overton,  Prynne, 
Edwards,  Baillie,  Paget,  Gillespie,  Rutherford,  John  Cot- 


ROGER  WILLIAMS  AND  THE  ENGLISH  REVOLUTION  57 

ton  and  others  considered  The  Bloudy  Tenent  among  the 
first  and  foremost  exponents  of  full  liberty  of  conscience, 
people's  sovereignty,  separation  of  church  and  state,  and 
natural  rights  of  man.  By  1647,  The  Bloudy  Tenent  has, 
independently  of  Roger  Williams,  become  the  textbook  of 
the  Sectarians  and  Levellers  in  their  struggle  for  political 
rights  and  liberties.  The  principles  contained  in  Lilburne's 
"The  Case  of  the  Army,"  and  those  expressed  in  "The 
Heads  of  Proposals"  and  "The  Agreement  of  the  People" 
in  1647,  had  already  been  stated  by  Williams  in  the 
Bloudy  Tenent  of  1 644  and  had  been  actually  incorpo- 
rated in  a  democratic  federal  Commonwealth  with  a  writ- 
ten social  compact  organized  by  consent  of  the  people  and 
granting  indi\'idual  rights,  limiting  the  functions  of  the 
civil  government  with  full  liberty  of  conscience  and  wor- 
ship and  freedom  of  press,  speech,  disputes,  debates  and 
assemblage — all  these  ideals  and  principles  of  the  Leveller 
visionaries  in  England  had  already  become  a  reality  in 
May,  1647,  in  Providence  Plantations  in  the  American 
wilderness.  It  has  yet  to  be  disproved  that  the  Providence 
Plantations  was  not  the  model  for  the  "Agreement  of  the 
People"  on  December  14,  1647,  prepared  by  the  close 
friends  of  Roger  Williains.  Fifteen  separate  pamphlets 
signed  by  about  800  English  clergymen  of  the  Presby- 
terian establishments  in  England  and  published  in  1648, 
denounced  the  religious  and  political  principles  of  Wil- 
liams contained  in  Master  Cotton^s  Letter  Examined^ 
Queries  of  Highest  Consideration,  and  The  Bloudy  Ten- 
ent of  Persecution  for  Cause  of  Conscience.  And  finally, 
there  was  a  distinct  change  in  the  attitude,  treatment  and 
phraseology  of  the  Sectarian  and  Independent  pamphlets 
in  the  beginning  of  1644,  about  four  or  five  months  after 
the  arrival  of  W^illiams  in  London. 

The  question  of  whether  Roger  Williams  sowed  the '! 
seeds  of  the  revolution  of  1  648  is  not  so  easily  answered. 
The  work  of  the  other  pamphleteers  like  Prynne,  John 
Goodwin,  the  Burton  brothers,  the  Overton  brothers,  Lil- 


^O  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

burne  and  others  can  not  be  discounted.  The  Levellers  of 
1 647-48  were  said  to  have  had  a  sword  in  one  hand  and  a 
Lilburne  pamphlet  in  the  other.  Lilburne  changed  his  doc- 
trine of  the  sovereignty  of  Parliament  to  people's  sov- 
ereignty after  1643;  through  whose  influence  did  that 
change  comer  May  it  not  be  that,  after  all,  Roger  Wil- 
liams was  the  apostle  of  the  Revolution  of  1648,  by  his 
associations  in  England,  and  more  especially  by  the  influ- 
ence of  T/7e  Bloudy  Tenent? 


Notes 


The  Slater  Collection 

At  the  October  meeting  of  the  Society,  Mr.  A.  B.  Slater 
formally  presented  the  Slater  Collection  of  Providence 
Stamps  to  the  Society.  The  collection  is  not  only  a  collec- 
tion of  the  stamps  issued  by  the  Providence  postmaster  in 
1846  and  1847,  together  with  specimens  of  restrikes,  fac- 
similes and  counterfeits,  but  is  also  a  collection  of  pictures 
and  data  which  throw  light  upon  the  history  of  the  Prov- 
idence stamps.  These  historical  notes  are  so  extensive, 
exhaustive  and  detailed  that  the  collection  has  become 
of  great  historical  interest  in  addition  to  its  philatelic 
importance. 

Mr.  Slater  has  made  the  results  of  his  years  of  study 
and  experience  available  to  others  by  the  publication  of  his 
brochure  The  Stamfs  of  the  Providence  R.  I.  Postmaster 
1 846-1 S 47 y  a  profusely  illustrated,  concise  and  conven- 
iently arranged  compilation  of  1  04  pages  which  contains  in 
printed  form  the  data  which  comprises  the  collection.  This 
brochure  might  well  serve  as  a  model  for  historical  mono- 
graphs along  lines  not  necessarily  in  any  way  connected 
with  philately. 


CAMLET   WORN    BV   RICHARD   SMITH,   JR.   OF   COCUMCUSSOC,    R.    1., 
WHO    DIED    IN     1692 

///  the  Society''s  Museum. 


60  rhode  island  historical  society 

Roger  Williams'  Father 

Capt.  G.  A.  Moriarty,  Jr.,  contributes  the  following  note 
from  the  Inquisitions  Post  Mortem,  3  Oct.,  ZG  Eliza. 
(1595): 

"Thomas  Castell  owns  one  messauge  now  in  the  tenor  of 
James  Williams  in  Long  Lane  in  St.  Sepulchres  without 
Newgate,  London."  It  will  be  remembered  at  a  later  date 
James  Williams  resided  in  a  house  on  Cow  Lane  in  St. 
Sepulchres  without  Newgate.^ 

Jemima  Wilkinson 

The  Society  has  just  obtained  a  copy  of  a  hitherto 
unlisted  early  American  imprint  entitled  Some  Considera- 
tions Propounded  to  the  several  Sorts  and  Sects  of  Pro- 
fessors of  this  age,  by  a  Universal  Friend  to  all  Mankind. 
It  is  an  anonymous  pamphlet  of  94  pages  dated  August, 
1  779,  and  "Printed  in  the  year  MDCCLXXIX."  It  is  one 
of  the  two  books'  ascribed  to  Jemima  Wilkinson  and  was 
issued  in  a  limited  edition  of  only  one  hundred  copies. 
This  particular  copy  was  handed  down  in  the  family  of  the 
sister  of  Miss  Lucy  Nichols  of  Warwick,  the  lady  who 
financed  the  publication  of  the  book.  The  book  is  of  great 
interest  as  it  throws  light  on  the  famous  eighteenth  century 
Rhode  Island  evangelist.  From  a  comparison  of  this  book 
with  other  contemporary  works  of  Bennett  Wheeler,  it 
seems  highly  probable  that  Some  Considerations  .... 
was  printed  by  him  at  Providence. 

References  to  Jemima  Wilkinson 

1.     History  oj  Je??iimd  Wilkinson^  by  David  Hudson.    Geneva,  N.  Y., 
1821. 


iR.  I.  H.  S.  C.  XVI,  79. 

"The  other  book  is  The  Universal  FriemPs  AJz'ice,  Philadelphia, 
MDCCLXXXIV.  It  is  reprinted  in  Cleveland's  History  oj  Yates  County y 
N.  Y.,  which  also  contains  a  portrait  and  biography  of  Jemima 
Wilkinson. 


NOTES  61 

2.  The  same.    Printed  anonymously  at  Bath,  N.  Y.,   1844.    28S  pages 

and  portrait  frontispiece. 

3.  Biografh^  Jemima   Wilki?isoji.     In   Omnium   Gatherum,  Januarv, 

I  8  10, 'vol.  1,  No.  3,  pp.  97-101. 

4.  A   Narrative  of  Thomas  Hathazvay  and  His  Family    .    .    .    c^vV// 

Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Jemima  Wilkinson.    By  Mrs.  William 
Hathaway,  Jr.,  New  Bedford,  1869.    43  p. 

5.  A  Woman  Fakir  of  Long  Ago.    In  Providence  Sunday  Journal  for 

October  22,  1905,  p.  29. 

6.  Some    Account    of    Jemima    Wilkinson,    a    Celebrated    Religious 

Imposter.    In  Providence  Press,  June  3,  1874. 

7.  Jefnima  Wilkinson,  the  Universal  Friend.    By  Rev.  John  Quincy 

Adams.     In  Journal  of  American  History   for  April,   Mav   and 
June,  1915.   This  contains  an  additional  list  of  references  to  her. 

8.  Jerusalem  the  Golden.    Bv  Robert  Porter  St.    [ohn.    N.  Y.,   1926. 

3  1  6  p. 

9.  Brief  articles  in  the  Providence  Patriot  for   Julv   17,   |ulv  21   and 

September  18,   1819. 

10.  Book  Notes  (Providence,  R.  I.),  vol.  33,  pages  97-101  and   105. 

11.  Providence  Journal,  June  4,  1916. 

12.  Carey's  M us.  1,  150. 

13.  Taits  Mag.,  N.  S.  12,  454  and  Ed.  Mag.,  5,  546. 

14.  Lend  a  Hand,  10,   126. 


The  Charter  and  Regulations  of  the  Artillery  Coinpanx 
in  the  Town  and  County  of  Bristol  in  the  State  of  Rhode 
Island,  a  leaflet  of  1 9  pages,  which  was  printed  at  Warren 
by  Nathaniel  Phillips  in  1 794,  was  presented  to  the  Soci- 
ety, together  with  a  large  number  of  old  Bristol  news- 
papers and  documents  of  historical  interest,  by  the  Rev. 
Anthony  R.  Parshley  of  Bristol. 

The  following  lectures  were  held  during  the  fall: 

October  1 4,  Providence  Stamps  by  Mr.  A.  B.  Slater. 

November  18,  Heraldry  in  America  by  Harold  Bow- 
ditch,  M.D.,  of  Boston. 

December  1 6,  Early  Rhode  Island  Silversmiths  by  Mr. 
William  Davis  Miller. 


62  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

The  following  persons  have  been  elected  to  membership 
in  the  Society: 

Mrs.  Marion  P.  Carter  Mrs.  William  H.  Poole 

Mr.  Henry  S.  Chafee  Mr,  Robert  S.  Preston 

Mrs.  Lawrence  B.  Fogarty  Lt.  Col.  John  B.  Richards 

Mrs.  Dana  Lawrence  Mrs.  Walter  F.  Seymour 

Mrs.  Louis  C.  Newman  Mr.  Frederick  B.  W^iener 

Mr.  Roger  Hale  Newton  Mrs.  C.  Howard  Wood 


New  Books  of  Rhode  Island  Interest 

Nailer  Toin^s  Diary ^  otherwise  The  Journal  of  Thomas 
B.  Hazard  of  Kingstown,  Rhode  Island,  1778  to  184-0, 
with  an  introduction  by  Caroline  Hazard,  is  a  quarto  of 
over  800  pages. 

Nelson  W .  Aldr'tchy  A  Leader  in  American  Politics,  is 
a  volume  of  496  pages  by  Nathaniel  Wright  Stephenson. 

The  StaiJips  of  the  Providence,  R.  /.,  Postjnaster,  1846- 
lS47y  by  A.  B.  Slater  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  issue 
of  the  Collections. 

Emblems  of  Rhode  Islandy  being  illustrations  of  the 
seals,  arms  and  flags  of  Rhode  Island  with  historical  notes 
by  Howard  M.  Chapin  and  an  introduction  by  Norman 
M.  Isham.  This  volume  of  77  pages  containing  96  illus- 
trations was  published  by  the  Rhode  Island  Historical 
Society  in  a  limited  edition  of  300  copies. 

The  Battle  of  Rhodi^e  I  si  and ,  arranged  from  the  work 
entitled,  "Our  French  Allies,"  written  by  Edwin  Martin 
Stone,  is  a  pamphlet  of  12  pages  printed  at  Tiverton  for 
the  Portsmouth  Free  Public  Library. 

The  Diary  of  Frederick  Mackenzie,  1775-1781,  which 
has  recently  been  published  in  two  volumes,  contains  an 
account  of  Lieutenant  Mackenzie's  stay  in  Rhode  Island 


KING     PHILIP  S     BEAD     HKI.T 


The  history  of  this  belt  is  printed  on  page  six  of  the  Museum  llluitrathig  the 
History  of  the  State,  which  is  as  published  in  1916  by  the  Rhode  Island  Historical 
Society. 

///  the  Sorietv's  Museum. 


64  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

covering  the  period  from  June  2,  1777,  to  December  31, 
1778,  and  comprising  over  three  hundred  printed  pages  of 
contemporary  notes  dealing  with  the  American  Revolution. 

The  Nezv  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register 
for  October,  1930,  contains  an  article  on  the  parentage  of 
Susanna  Wright,  the  wife  of  Richard  Pearce  of  Ports- 
mouth, R.  I. 

There  is  an  article  on  Robert  Feke  of  Newport,  the  por- 
trait painter,  together  with  a  checklist  of  his  works  in  the 
October,  1930,  issue  of  Antiquarian. 

Miss  C.  Louise  Avery's  Early  American  Silver  contains 
22  pages  on  Rhode  Island  silversmiths  and  their  work, 
together  with  several  illustrations. 

Frederick  Cohbe  Pitman  and  His  Family ^  by  Harry 
Anderson  Pitman,  is  a  volume  of  67  pages  privately 
printed  in  London  in  1930.  Captain  Pitman  was  a  British 
officer  who  came  to  Newport,  R.  L,  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury and  was  married  to  Lydia  Strengthheld  of  Newport 
in  1765. 

The  Eddy  Family  in  America y  compiled  by  Ruth  Story 
Devereux  Eddy,  and  printed  in  Boston  in  1930,  is  a  vol- 
ume of  1372  pages  containing  much  genealogical  data  of 
local  interest. 

The  Calendar  of  State  Papers  for  1716  and  1717,  which 
has  just  been  issued  by  the  British  government,  contains 
several  references  to  the  controversy  over  the  appointment 
of  the  Governor  of  Massachusetts  as  Commander  in  Chief 
of  the  militia  of  Rhode  Island. 

Early  American  Furniture  Makers ,  by  T.  H.  Ormsbee, 
contains  some  account  of  John  Goddard  and  other  Rhode 
Island  furniture  makers. 


Roger  Williams  Press 


fT 


E.  A.  Johnson  Co. 


PROVIDENCE 


Rhode    Island 

Historical  SociExSrly^ 
Collections      f}^ 


Vol.  XXIV 


APRIL,  1931 


No.  2 


•I'lIK   Sllll'    CORl.A   OK    PK()\ll)K\CK,    U.   JACKSON,   COMMANDKR 
OFF  EI.SINORK,  DKNMARK,  IN    1839 

Fro)>!  a  pd'nili)!^  hy  6".  Cli'iiscu  in  the  Riihard  W .  Ciniistnck,  Jr., 
M,i/;n/i,!l  CoUi-ilidii  in  the  Socifty's  MiisfUDi. 

AnotluT  picture  of  the  dir^-.i,  in  which  the  ship's  natm-  is  spelled  Koren,  was 
printed  in  the  RhoJr  L<L:nJ  lliit.nual  Society  Collections  XVI,  op.  p.   37. 


Issued  Quarterly 


68  Watkrmw  SiRKi.i,  Providknck,  RnonF.  T?i.A\n 


CONTENTS 


Page 


c>^ 


Sxhip  Corea       .......      Cover 

President's  Annual  Address 

by  Addison  P.  Munroc       .  .  .  .  65 

The  Walter  Newbury  Shipping  Book 

b\-  Bruce  M.  Bigelow  ....  73 

First  Settlers  in  East  Pr(j\'idence 

b\-  \V.  PeRo\-  Wood  ....  92 

The  Esther  Willett  Thimble     ....  97 

New  Publications     .  .  .  .  .  .  97 

Notes 99 

Report  cjf  Membership  Committee 

by  Henry  C.  Dexter  .  .  .  .  100 

Treasurer's  Report 

bv  Gilbert  A.  Harrin^iton   .  .  .  .  101 


RHODE      i(f^iJ^^      ISLAND 
HISTORICAL      IlLsJfel  SOCIETY 

COLLECTIONS 


VOL.  XXIV  April,  1931  No.  2 

Addison  P.  Munroe,  President     Gh.bkri   .\.  Harrington,  Treasurer 
Howard  W.  Preston,  Secretary  Howard  M.  Chapin,  Librarian 


The  Society  assumes  no  responsibility  for  the  statements  or  the  opinions 
of  contributors. 


President's  Annual  Address 

To  the  uienihers  of  //;<?  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society: 

The  President's  annual  address  takes  a  different  form 
this  year  from  addresses  heretofore  delivered. 

The  present  Executive  believes  that  his  annual  mes- 
sage, instead  of  being  an  historical  address,  should  take 
the  form  of  an  annual  report  of  the  work  and  activities  of 
the  Society,  to  the  end  that  the  members  may  be  made 
more  familiar  with  the  work  that  the  officers  and  the  niem- 
bers  of  the  Executive  Committee  are  endeavoring  to 
accomplish.  In  other  words,  a  report  of  the  President  to 
the  stockholders  of  the  corporation  —  the  members  of  the 
Society  being  so  regarded. 


Charter  of  the  Organ izati 


ON 


First,  a  few  words  as  to  the  Society  itself.  The  Rhode 
Island  Historical  Society  was  chartered  at  the  June  session 
of  the  General  Assembly,  1822,  and  is  now  entering  upon 


66  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

the  109th  year  of  its  existence.  The  Society  was  chartered, 
to  quote  from  the  Act  of  Incorporation,  "For  the  purpose 
of  procuring  and  preserving  whatever  relates  to  the  topo- 
graphy, antiquities,  and  natural,  civil  and  ecclesiastical 
history  of  the  State." 

Since  its  organization  it  has  had  fifteen  presidents,  as 
follows:  James  Fenner,  John  Rowland,  Albert  Gorton 
Greene,  Samuel  Greene  Arnold,  Zachariah  Allen,  William 
Gammell,  Horatio  Rogers,  John  Henry  Stiness,  George 
Taylor  Paine,  Albert  Harkness,  Wilfred  Harold  Munro, 
Howard  W.  Preston,  G,  Alder  Blumer,  Claude  R.  Branch, 
and  the  present  incumbent. 

The  State  of  Rhode  Island  is  exceedingly  wealthy  in 
historic  material  and  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society 
itself  may  well  be  considered  as  being  an  important  part 
thereof. 

While  enjoying  a  long  life  of  constructive  usefulness, 
naturally,  in  accordance  with  its  purpose,  dealing  with  the 
lives  and  deeds  of  those  who  have  gone  before,  neverthe- 
less it  is  in  no  sense  a  dead  organization,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, is  a  live  twentieth  century  society  catering  to  the 
needs  of  the  present  life  and  present  conditions. 

Financial  Condition 

While  there  has  never  been  a  time  in  the  long  life  of 
the  Society  when  it  could  not  have  used  more  funds  advan- 
tageously, nevertheless  our  financial  condition  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  as  far  as  operating  expenses  are  concerned,  is 
very  satisfactory,  as  has  been  shown  by  the  report  of  the 
Treasurer.  The  income  from  the  invested  funds  and  from 
the  annual  membership  dues,  is  carefully  budgeted  each 
year  and  the  budget  strictly  adhered  to.  The  large 
increase  in  membership  during  the  past  year  has  materially 
increased  the  annual  income.  The  Society  has  also  been 
fortunate  the  past  year  in  having  been  bequeathed  the 
sum   of   $4,000   by   the   late    Miss    Emily   J.    Anthony, 


president's  annum,  address  67 

although   the  bequest   has   not  yet  been   paid   in   to   the 
Society's  treasury. 

Gifts 

Numerous  gifts  have  been  received  during  the  past  year, 
among  them  being  the  valuable  collection  of  Providence 
stamps  presented  by  Mr.  A.  B.  Slater,  and  two  oil  paint- 
ings by  Mr.  Henry  D.  Sharpe, 

Membership 

It  is  extremely  gratifying  to  state  that  our  membership 
shows  a  greater  increase  during  1930  than  in  any  previ- 
ous year,  as  shown  by  the  report  of  the  Membership  Com- 
mittee, and  that  the  total  membership  as  of  December  31, 
1930,  is  the  largest  ever  reported  at  an  annual  meeting, 
as  shown  by  the  report  of  the  Secretary.  The  Member- 
ship Committee  has  functioned  admirably,  and  I  am  sure 
I  am  expressing  the  sentiments  of  the  Society  when  I 
extend  its  members  our  sincere  thanks  for  their  efficient 
work.  I  trust  the  growth  in  membership  will  continue 
during  the  coming  year. 

Library 

The  report  of  our  efficient  Librarian  and  of  the  Library 
Committee  shows  that  department  of  our  organization  to 
be  in  excellent  condition.  A  recognized  authority  on  library 
conditions  recently  stated  in  a  published  article  that  "The 
library  of  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society  is  the  most 
complete  for  its  subject  of  all  the  State  Historical  libraries 
in  America.  That  is,  it  has  more  nearly  all  the  books, 
pamphlets,  and  other  historical  material  relating  to  its 
State  than  has  any  similar  institution." 

Our  genealogical  library  is  not  growing  as  rapidly  as  it 
should,  and  a  special  fund  for  the  purchase  of  genealogical 
books  would  solve  this  problem. 


f 


68  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Lectures 

We  have  been  very  fortunate  in  securing  able  speakers 
for  our  1930  courses  of  lectures,  all  of  which  have  been 
most  interesting  and  well  attended.  All  of  our  lecturers 
have  volunteered  their  services  and  the  members  of  our 
Society  have  indeed  been  fortunate  to  have  had  the  privi- 
lege of  enjoying  these  instructive  talks.  The  matter  of 
lectures  has  been  more  fully  covered  in  the  report  of  the 
Lecture  Committee. 

Publications 

The  matter  of  our  publications  has  been  reported  on  by 
the  Publication  Committee,  and  does  not  require  any  fur- 
ther extended  comment,  except  to  say  that  they  have  been 
kept  up  to  the  high  standard  of  previous  years,  and  that 
they  are  in  keeping  with  the  dignity  of  the  Society.  The 
quarterly  "Collections"  in  particular  have  been  of  out- 
standing merit. 

Grounds  and  Buildings 

Thanks  to  the  efficient  Committee  on  Grounds  and 
Buildings  our  property  is  in  excellent  condition  and  has 
required  but  little  outlay  for  upkeep  and  repairs. 


Ne 


ECROLOGY 


The  report  of  the  Necrology  Committee  shows  that  we 
have  lost  a  number  of  our  valued  members  during  the  past 
year,  some  of  whom  have  been  members  of  many  years 
standing.  Included  in  this  list  is  the  first  Vice-President 
of  the  Society,  Hon.  Charles  Dean  Kimball,  a  faithful  and 
efficient  officer,  whose  passing  is  a  great  loss  to  the  Society. 
A  committee  representing  the  Society  was  appointed  to 
attend  the  funeral  and  at  the  Executive  Committee  meet- 
ing following,  appropriate  resolutions  were  adopted  and 
a  copy  of  the  same  forwarded  to  his  family. 


president's  annual  address  69 

Finance  and  Audit  Committees 

The  efficient  work  of  these  important  committees  is 
covered  by  the  report  of  the  Treasurer. 

Special  Committees 

The  Committee  on  Marking  Hisroric  Sites  has  not  been 
particularly  active  during  the  past  year,  owing,  in  part,  to 
the  illness  and  death  of  Chairman  Kimball.  Recommenda- 
tion is  made  that  a  meeting  of  this  important  committee  be 
held  in  the  near  future  at  which  a  Chairman  should  be 
elected.  The  State  of  Rhode  Island,  that  assists  the  work 
of  this  committee  by  an  appropriation,  as  well  as  this 
Society  and  the  community  at  large,  looks  to  this  committee 
for  the  appropriate  marking  of  the  many  important  his- 
toric sites  within  the  boundaries  of  the  State,  and  more 
activity  should  prevail.  It  is  not  sufficient  to  discuss  things 
that  ought  to  be  done;  the  business  motto  "Do  it  now" 
should  be  followed. 

Following  the  instructions  of  the  Society,  your  Presi- 
dent appointed,  last  spring,  a  Committee  on  the  Celebra- 
tion of  the  300th  Anniversary  of  the  Founding  of  Provi- 
dence, which  has  taken  the  name  of  the  Providence  Ter- 
centenary Committee.  The  work  accomplished  to  date 
by  the  Committee  has  been  very  satisfactory,  and  has  been 
covered  by  the  report  of  the  Recording  Secretary,  Mr. 
John  W.  Haley. 

Believing  that  an  organization  functions  better  when 
individuals  composing  that  organization  are  in  closer  touch 
with  each  other,  your  President,  immediately  after  the  last 
annual  meeting,  appointed  a  Hospitality  Committee  to 
serve  during  the  year  1 930.  This  action  was  in  accord  with 
the  trend  of  live  modern  organizations,  and  has  resulted 
satisfactorily.  At  the  close  of  each  lecture  this  Committee 
serves  light  refreshments,  and  gives  opportunity  to  the 
members  for  closer  social  contact  and  to  meet  the  speaker. 


70  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Formerly,  after  the  close  of  a  lecture,  the  building 
would  be  vacated  inside  of  five  minutes,  where  now  the 
members  spend  an  hour  in  social  intercourse  to  the  mutual 
benefit  of  all  concerned.  Much  credit  is  due  to  the  Hos- 
pitality Committee  of  1930,  for  its  efficient  work.  This 
plan  will  be  continued  during  the  coming  year. 

Official  Representation 

Your  President  has  had  the  honor  of  representing  the 
Society  at  several  official  functions,  and  at  meetings  and 
dinners  of  other  organizations.  He  has  accepted  all  such 
invitations  unless  previous  engagements  have  prevented. 

The  Society's  Building 

In  connection  with  the  250th  Anniversary  of  the  Found- 
ing of  the  City  of  Providence,  a  book  was  published  en- 
titled "The  Providence  Plantations  for  250  Years,"  by 
Welcome  Arnold  Greene. 

Writing  of  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society  and  its 
building,  Mr.  Greene  said: 

"The  capacity  of  the  building  is  insufficient  for  the 
proper  display  of  these  objects  of  interest  .  .  .  The 
contents  of  the  building  may  be  described  as  con- 
sisting of :  (  1  )  a  library  of  16,000  bound  volumes, 
40,000  pamphlets,  files  of  newspapers,  and  individual 
manuscripts j  (2)  a  cabinet  comprising,  not  merely 
curiosities,  but  articles  that  illustrate  the  domestic, 
social,  commercial,  and  military  life  of  an  age  unlike 
our  own  j  (  3  )  portraits  of  the  prominent  men  in  the 
colonial  and  early  history  of  Rhode  Island,  together 
with  other  historic  pictures." 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  additions  to  the  building 
have  been  made  since  the  writing  of  the  above,  in  1886, 


prksidknt's  annual  address  71 

the  building  is  even  more  crowded  now  than  it  was  at  that 
time.  In  fact,  it  is  so  crowded  that  many  of  the  priceless 
possessions  of  the  Society  cannot  even  be  displayed. 

We  have  at  the  present  time,  over  100,000  books  and 
pamphlets,  besides  over  200,000  manuscripts,  while  news- 
paper files  have  increased  by  the  accumulation  of  50  years. 

If  we  are  to  continue  to  grow,  function  properly,  and 
serve  the  citizens  of  Providence,  it  is  imperative  that  we 
have  more  room  in  the  very  near  future. 

Much  time  and  thought  has  already  been  given  to  the 
matter,  and  at  the  present  time,  it  seems  as  though  one 
of  two  solutions  will  eventually  have  to  be  adopted. 

1.  Acquire  an  entirely  new  site  and  erect  a  modern 
building  thereon,  selling  the  present  land  and  building, 
and  using  the  proceeds  thereof  toward  the  cost  of  the  new 
building. 

2.  Build  an  addition  on  the  front  of  the  present  build- 
ing, covering,  as  far  as  possible,  all  of  the  landj  the  addi- 
tion to  be  of  fireproof  construction  with  waterproof 
basement. 

The  Executive  Committee  has  considered  the  matter  and 
has  appointed  a  committee  to  investigate  the  possibilities 
of  the  first  plan.  Although  the  committee  so  appointed  has 
spent  considerable  time  on  the  matter,  very  little  progress 
has  been  made,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  the  proper  location 
can  be  secured  at  a  cost  that  would  be  deemed  at  all 
reasonable. 

The  second  plan  has  also  been  considered.  In  order  to 
erect  an  addition  that  would  be  large  enough  to  serve  the 
purposes  of  the  Society,  permission  would  have  to  be 
secured  from  the  Zoning  Board  to  build  upon  more  land 
than  is  allowed  to  be  covered  in  a  residential  district.  Inas- 
much, however,  as  our  Society  is  a  semi-public  institution, 
and  the  building  is  open  to  the  public  each  day  of  the  week, 
it  is  believed  that  the  necessary  permission  would  be 
granted. 


I 


72  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

While  a  number  of  our  members  think  that  an  entirely 
new  building,  modern  in  every  respect,  should  be  acquired, 
an  equally  large  number  express  reluctance  to  leave  the 
building  that  has  been  the  home  of  the  Society  for  so  many 
years,  and  support  the  second  plan,  which  would  entail 
but  a  small  cost  compared  to  the  cost  of  the  first  plan. 

The  whole  matter  is  receiving  the  consideration  of  the 
officers  and  members  of  the  Executive  Committee,  and,  I 
have  no  doubt,  the  proper  solution  will  finally  be  found. 

Officers  and  Committees 

I  want  to  express  my  appreciation  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  officers  and  committees  have  functioned  during 
the  past  year.  The  attendance  at  committee  meetings  has 
been  noteworthy,  frequently  being  100  per  cent. 

We  are  fortunate  in  having  officers  and  committee  mem- 
bers who  realize  that  they  are  not  elected  for  the  honor, 
but  for  the  purpose  of  real  service  to  the  Society. 

Members  also  have  duties,  other  than  paying  their 
annual  dues.  They  owe  it  to  the  speakers,  to  the  Lecture 
Committee,  and  to  the  Society,  to  support  the  lectures  by 
their  attendance,  and  thus  give  their  moral  as  well  as  their 
financial  support. 

Conclusion 

In  presenting  this  brief  resume  of  the  activities  of  the 
Society  for  the  past  year,  your  President  trusts  that  the 
membership  has  a  better  idea  of  what  the  Society  is  accom- 
plishing. History  need  not  necessarily  be  a  dry  matter, 
and  when  presented  properly,  is  not.  Our  Society,  in  the 
second  century  of  its  existence,  should,  and  I  believe  has, 
reached  the  age  of  mature  and  sound  judgment;  if  it  has 
not,  it  never  will. 

Although  it  is  proper  for  us  to  look  back  upon  the  past 
work  of  the  Society  with  pride,  nevertheless,  it  is  the 


THK  WALTER   NEWBURY  SHIPPING  BOOK  73 

future  we  are  facing,  and  I  am  confident  that  with  the 
continued  co-operation  and  support  of  our  members,  we 
will  continue  to  function  as  well  or  better  in  the  future 
as  we  have  in  the  past. 

Addison  P.  Munroe, 

President. 

Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
January  13,  1931. 


The  Walter  Newbury  Shipping  Book 

By  Bruce  M.  Bigelow 

Documents  on  seventeenth  century  American  commerce 
are  rare  historical  nuggets.  Only  occasionally  does  the 
historian  find  one  of  these  precious  records  which  describes 
the  nature  of  our  early  trade  —  a  commerce  which  led 
to  the  Golden  Age  of  Newport,  and  the  industrial  era  of 
Providence. 

We  have  known  that  Narragansett  Bay  was  a  part  of 
the  seventeenth  century  commercial  world.  Indeed,  even 
before  Roger  Williams  had  founded  the  town  of  Provi- 
dence, the  ubiquitous  Dutchman,  who  tried  all  ports,  had 
there  bartered  his  knives,  trinkets,  tools,  and  firearms  for 
the  Indian  furs,  hides,  and  produce,  and  had  even  estab- 
lished a  trading  post  there  for  the  Dutch  West  Indian 
Company.^ 


^Broadhead,  History  of  Necc  York,  I,  Mil,  268.  Cited  by  Arnold, 
History  of  Rhode  Island,  I,  15  5.  There  is  an  island  in  Narragansett  Bay 
still  called  Dutch  Island. 


74  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

We  have  also  known  that  the  early  colonists  who  settled 
Newport  and  Providence  were  prompt  to  continue  this 
intercourse  with  the  Dutchmen  of  Manhattan.  Further- 
more, we  are  aware  that  besides  this  coastwise  commerce 
between  Newfoundland  on  the  north,  and  Manhattan  on 
the  south,  these  early  Rhode  Island  merchant  adventurers 
soon  looked  for  a  market  in  the  Caribbean.  In  this  early 
period  of  the  seventeenth  century  there  was  some  small 
commerce  with  Barbados,  but  exactly  how  much  there  was 
may  never  be  known.  Among  the  meagre  evidence  is  a 
report  to  the  Board  of  Trade  made  by  Governor  Peleg 
Sanford  in  1680,  forty-four  years  after  the  founding  of 
the  colony.'  Sanford  wrote  that  "we  have  nine  towns  or 
divisions  within  our  Colloney."  As  to  the  commercial  pos- 
sibilities the  answer  was,  "wee  have  several  good  Harbors 
...  of  very  good  depth  and  soundings,  navigable  for  any 
shippings."  He  reported  further  in  reference  to  trade,  "the 
principall  matters  that  are  exported  amongst  us,  is  Horses 
and  provisions  and  the  goods  chiefly  imported  is  a  small 
quantity  of  Barbadoes  goods  for  supply  of  our  familyes." 

The  extreme  meagreness  of  the  actual  commerce  of  the 
period  is  indicated  in  this  same  document  when  the  gov- 
ernor announced,  "wee  have  severall  men  that  deale  in 
buying  and  sellinge  although  they  cannot  properly  be 
called  merchants,  and  for  the  Planters  wee  conceave  there 
are  about  five  hundred  and  about  five  hundred  men 
besides."  Again  he  stated,  "That  as  for  merchants  wee  have 
none,  but  the  most  of  our  Colloney  live  comfortably  by 
improvinge  the  wildernesse  .  .  .  that  we  have  no  ship- 
pinge  belonginge  to  our  Colloney  but  only  a  few  sloopes." 

This  report  of  the  governor  in  1680  is  somewhat  unsat- 
isfactory, but  it  does  at  least  indicate  the  extent  of  early 
Rhode  Island  commerce.    It  should  have  restrained  the 


-Arnold,  History  of  Rhode  Island,  I,  488-491.    From  the  original  in 
the  British  State  Paper  Office,  New  England  Papers.   B.  T.,  Vol.  Ill,  121. 


THE  WALTER  NEWBURY  SHIPPING  BOOK  75 

popular  historians  who  would  have  us  believe  that  an  active 
port  of  Providence  existed  in  the  seventeenth  century.  Too 
frequently  the  Sanford  report  was  forgotten.  Neverthe- 
less, although  this  evidence  relating  to  the  extent  of  Rhode 
Island  commerce  was  extant,  there  was  nothing  available 
for  many  years  to  tell  us  about  the  nature  of  this  early 
trade. 

Then  came  the  Peleg  Sanford  Letter  Book,  found  in 
the  Massachusetts  Archives,  and  published  by  the  Rhode 
Island  Historical  Society  in  1928.  This  priceless  docu- 
ment shows  the  business  practices  of  Peleg  Sanford  between 
1666  and  1669.  To  supplement  this  account,  the  Society 
now  prints  an  abstract  of  the  Walter  Newbury  Shipping 
Book  which  was  located  by  the  writer  in  the  Newport 
Historical  Society  Library.  This  unusual  document  indi- 
cates the  actual  export  trade  of  Walter  Newbury  between 
1673  and  1689. 

Walter  Newbury  was  born  in  1648,  and  died  in  1697.^ 
He  is  first  heard  of  in  Newport  in  1673  when  he  shipped 
goods  to  Barbados.  In  the  following  year  the  Friends' 
records  identified  him  as  a  "London  merchant,  residing  in 
Newport,"  and  show  that  he  purchased  a  house  from  Wil- 
liam Richardson,  mariner  and  owner  of  the  Ketch  IVLay- 
fiower.  In  1675  he  was  listed  as  a  Freeman,  in  1684  as  a 
Deputy,  and  from  1686  to  1696  as  an  Assistant.*  In  1675, 
he  married  a  former  London  resident,  Ann  Collins,  and 
had  eight  children  by  the  union.  Newbury  was  apparently  a 
very  active  Quaker.  The  famous  itinerant  Friend,  William 


^Austin,  Genealogical  Dictionary  of  Rhode  Island^  p.  137.  See  also 
Turner,  Gcneological  Manuscript,  p.  I  5  1,  in  Newport  Historical  Society. 
A  note  on  Newburv's  death  and  estate  is  in  Rhode  Island  Colonial  Records, 
111,440. 

^Rhode  Island  Colonial  Record,  III,  186,  220,  312. 


76  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Edmundson/'  in  the  journal  of  his  own  life  described  visits 
to  the  West  Indies,  a  passage  to  Rhode  Island  in  a  "Yatch 
that  Joseph  Bryer,  a  Friend  was  master  of,"  and  his  stay 
during  an  illness  at  the  home  of  Walter  Newbury. 

The  Newbury  document  is  a  shipping  book  of  a  stand- 
ard type.  For  the  convenience  of  merchants  English 
printers  sold  bills  of  lading  bound  together  in  book  form. 
The  bills  were  printed  forms  with  spaces  into  which  the 
name  of  the  shipper,  the  vessel,  the  master,  and  the  con- 
signee would  be  written.  The  cargo,  of  course,  was  also 
included  along  with  the  freight  rate,  and  then  too  the 
date.  The  master's  signature  appeared  at  the  bottom  of 
each  bill.*^ 

It  is  interesting  that  the  first  bill  of  lading  was  not  made 
out  in  Newbury's  name.  Hope  Borden  made  the  first 
shipment,  and  the  cargo,  consisting  of  horses  and  provi- 
sions, was  consigned  to  Joseph  Borden.  The  bill  was  dated 
November  18,  1673.  In  this  case  shipper  and  consignee 
were  husband  and  wife.  Joseph  Borden  had  moved  from 
Portsmouth  to  Barbados  j  his  wife  Hope  remained  in  New- 
port with  her  mother  until  the  Borden's  third  child  was 
born.'  The  second  bill  of  lading,  dated  December  30,  1673, 
reveals  Walter  Newbury  as  the  shipper  and  Joseph  Borden 
as  the  receiver.  The  story  is  clear  enough.  Joseph  Borden 
had  probably  carried  on  a  previous  correspondence  with 
Barbados.   After  his  departure  to  the  West  Indies  his  wife 


'''A  Journal  of  the  Life  Travels,  Sujferings  and  Labour  of  Loz'e  in  the 
Work  of  the  Ministry  of  that  Worthy  Elder  and  Faithful  Servant  of  Jesus 
Christ,  William  Edmundson,  pp.  71-82.    (London,  1712.) 

*'The  signatures  indicate  how  unimportant  spelling  was  considered  by 
colonists  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Even  the  name  of  the  shipper, 
Newbury,  appears  as  Newberry  and  Newbery.  A  very  interesting  signature 
in  this  book  is  that  of  Sam  Cranston.  This  is  the  only  actual  record  that 
seems  to  exist  which  proves  that  he  was  the  master  of  a  vessel.  Many  stories 
of  his  ventures,  however,  have  survived. 

^Austin,  Genealogical  Dictionary,  p.  24. 


THE  WALTER  NEWBURY  SHIPPING  BOOK 


77 


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in  and  upon  tin  Sbtp  salltU  tbt  1 
whtrff  it  Metjlerfpr  this  frtj*»fy^}fZK^/i>t/^ 
gird  luw  ridmi  «t  anclx/r  m  tU  A^  y^-^Y^^^ 


ft#>«X  ^!>^K'd  and  numbred  at  in  the  marg,r.t,  Andarrtf  be  dtlmrtd  in  the  lik  focd  or^er  On^  ■  i 
VnHc^Mjitftnedatthc  tiforcjAid  Purl  i,f  ^^^^t/JgVfiCe'^t^  7.  —       -  ~  X"^ 

(»jiK  d^nj^tr  eftht  Sitii  onely  fxcefced)  unto  I^A/^^^  ^'^  -14^-     ytf^fyx^tty^ 
^      —     #rt«   ACf"    of^neiyhc<,rihcf{ajin;rfraightforthef.tUiQ3'U^i'y^^^j^ 

mth  primaie  and  avaraic  aseufltrnd.  In  wUnef,  whereof, th^  Aiaticr  or  TurC^  oftinfaui  ShJi 
''t^am^hjkd,  tbi ^iiJir  xwo  toji^nd  md.  -  JJaudin  ■  ft^^t^M^  t-^i^ 


w. 


n^ 


►^•iHtelMki 


A  PAGE  OF  THE  WALTER  NEWBURY  SHIPPING   BOOK 

lit  Newport  Historical  Society  Library 


78  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

continued  his  shipments  until  her  own  departure  when 
Newbury,  a  recent  arrival  in  Newport,  took  over  the  busi- 
ness. The  other  bills  of  lading  in  the  old  Borden  shipping 
book  all  belonged  to  Newbury  and  cover  the  period  from 
December  10,  1673  to  April  13,  1689.' 

Newbury  employed  vessels  not  very  different  in  type 
from  those  used  by  Peleg  Sanford.  The  majority  were 
sloops  and  ketches.  It  is  unfortunate  that  the  word  "ship" 
was  printed  on  the  form  of  the  bills.  Frequently  the  mer- 
chant forgot  to  cross  out  this  word  and  write  in  the  actual 
rig  of  the  vessel.  As  a  rule,  however,  the  descriptive  name 
of  the  craft  was  given.  Newbury,  in  1688,  employed  a 
brigantine,  and  even  before  this  there  is  no  doubt  that  ships 
were  actually  used.  In  general,  however,  sloops,  ketches, 
and  brigantines  were  most  common.  Like  Sanford,  New- 
bury doubtless  had  an  interest  in  several  of  these  vessels, 
perhaps  owning  one  outright,  but  that  is  quite  doubtful.  As 
one  of  the  leading  merchants  in  Newport,  Newbury  per- 
haps had  shares  in  several  vessels  of  that  port.  There  is 
evidence  that  he  was  concerned  in  at  least  forty-seven  voy- 
ages: nineteen  to  Barbados,  five  to  Jamaica,  two  to  Nevis, 
and  one  to  Antiqua.  One  vessel  went  to  London,  eight  to 
New  York,  and  seven  to  Boston;  Shrowsberry,  Philadel- 
phia, and  Burlington-on-the-Delaware  are  also  each  mem- 
tioned  once.  Barbados  was  naturally  the  chief  objective. 
It  is  of  considerable  interest  and  some  significance  that  as 
early  as  1678,  Newbury  tried  a  shipment  to  Jamaica,  which 
became  the  leading  market  a  half  century  later. 

One  of  the  most  important  characteristics  of  this  period, 
which  is  evidenced  by  methods  of  both  Sanford  and  New- 
bury, is  that  cargoes  were  consigned  to  definite  individuals. 


^It  is  important  to  remember  that  the  Julian  Calendar  was  not  replaced 
by  the  Gregorian  or  New  Style  until  1752.  The  Julian  year  began  on  the 
25th  of  March.  February  was  the  twelfth  month  and  March  the  first 
month  of  the  year 


THE  WALTER   NEWBURY  SHIPPINC   BOOK  79 

Sanford  used  this  practice  most  regularly.  Newbury 
employed  it  too,  but  occasionally  took  a  chance  on  a  con- 
signment to  the  master,  who  was  charged  to  dispose  of  it 
as  best  he  could.  It  was  this  method  of  shipment  which 
became  so  popular  in  the  first  half  of  the  next  century.  At 
first,  however,  this  was  too  risky.  Even  a  single  cargo  would 
usually  be  consigned  to  several  different  men. 

The  Newbury  shipments  to  the  West  Indies  were  of  a 
very  miscellaneous  nature.  In  the  winter  months,  beef 
and  pork  were  the  most  common.  Mackerel  in  the  other 
seasons  was  the  usual  fish  export,  although  it  was  of  less 
importance  than  other  provisions.  There  was  not  a  great 
amount  of  live  stock  sent  by  Newbury  to  the  West  Indies. 
Horses  w^ere  shipped  but  only  occasionally.  Sheep  were 
carried  to  North  Carolina,  but  there  is  no  mention  of  such 
a  shipment  to  the  Caribbean.  The  provisions  consisted 
mainly  of  apples,  cider,  peas,  bread,  wheat,  butter,  cheese, 
and  onions.  Many  other  goods,  however,  were  found 
among  the  cargoes.  Tar,  staves,  shingles,  raw  wool,  candles, 
and  oil  were  quite  common. 

In  the  decade  that  followed,  1690-1700,  the  trade  of 
Rhode  Island  apparently  did  not  differ  greatly  from  that 
of  the  preceding  years.  Antigua  may  have  attracted  more 
vessels  J  possibly  Jamaica  was  gaining  as  a  market.  Barba- 
dos was  soon  to  see  the  sun  setting  in  the  west,  and  her  hey- 
day coming  to  a  close.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  more, 
however,  she  held  on,  but  the  forces  of  nature  were  not 
to  be  denied. 

The  story  of  this  early  Rhode  Island- West  Indian  trade 
has  a  very  important  place  in  colonial  history.  The  sev- 
enteenth century  was  a  period  of  growth  in  Rhode  Island 
and  the  West  Indies,  as  elsewhere  in  the  British  colonial 
world.  Preparation  for  the  commercial  growth  which 
followed  had  been  made  in  the  decades  that  preceded  the 
Treaty  of  Utrecht  in  1713.  Walter  Newbury,  Peleg  San- 
ford, the  Cranstons,  and  the  Wantons,  along  with  many 


80  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Others,  had  planted  and  nursed  the  sapHng  which  was  to 
blossom  and  bear  the  prized  seed  which  the  merchant 
magnates  of  the  later  eighteenth  century  were  to  harvest. 

Shipped  by  Hope  Borden  on  Ship  [  r  ]  Johanah  and  Sarah y 
Roger  Gollon,  [r  Goulding]  master,  Newport  to  Barba- 
dos, unto  Joseph  Borden,  Nov.  18,  1673. 
"three  horses,  one  to  paye  fraight,  the  one  halfe  to  witt 
the  bay  horsey  the  other  two  to  pay  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  of  suger  more  than  halfe  the  produce  of  the  horse 
afoursd.  Chaghe  [charge]  hay  and  provindor  [illegible] 
three  horses  as  afoursd;  one  barll  aples  &  five  hundred  of 
Ceder  chings  [shingles]". 

Shipped   by   Walter   Newbury   on   Ship    [  r  ]    called   the 
Robucky  John  Bradford,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados, 
unto  Joseph  Borden,  Dec.  30,  1673. 
"six  barlls  of  sidor  &  four  barlls  of  porke." 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouth^  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Joseph  Borden 
and  Richard  Sanders.    Dec.  30,  1673. 
"seven  firkins  butter,  seven  bars  of  Iron,   .    .    .    forty  four 
boxes  of  pills    .    .    ." 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouth^  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  on  account  and  risque 
of  George  Coall  and  unto  Oliver  Hodin,  Dec.  30,  1673. 
"ten  barlls  of  Sidr  ....  Eight  barlls  of  pork,  six  firkins 
of  butter". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ship  Newport,  Henry 
Beer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Walter  New- 
bury, Jan.  5,  1673/4. 

"three  hhds  fish,  two  hhds  bread,  six  f —  mackrell,  3  barlls 
beef,  2  Barlls  porke,  one  barll  Cranbers  [cranberries],  one 
barll  pickled  Cd.  [cod?]." 


THE  WALTER   NEWBURY   SHIPPING  BOOK  81 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Ship   [ :   Ketch  |   Ports- 
mouthy  Joseph  Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto 
Thomas  and  Ralph  Frothwell,  Dec.  30,  1673. 
"4  barlls  porke  ....  one  barll  Muton,  one  firkin  hogs 
fatt   .    .    ." 

Shipped   by  Walter   Newbury,   on   Sloop   Flyer^   Roger 
Mash     [Marsh],    master,    Barbados    to    Jamaica,    unto 
Edmond  Stevenson  in  Jamaica,  Feb.  21,  1673/4. 
"four  barlls  of  Candole  [candlesr]" 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsjnouth,  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  on  account  and  risque 
of  Joseph  Grove  and  unto  Oliver  Hooton,  Jan.  22,  1 675/6. 
"2  Barells  of  Beefe  &  one  barell  of  mutton". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouth^  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  for  account  and  risque 
of  Timothy  Mashall  [Marshall]  deceased,  and  unto  his 
late  wife  Abigail  Mashall,  Jan.  22,  1675/6. 
"1  Barell  of  Beefe  &  one  Barell  of  Mutton  &  one  Barell 
of  Hodgs  fatt". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouth^  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  for  account  and  risque 
of  Joseph  Walker  and  unto  the  same,  Jan.  22,  1675/6. 
"Three  Barells  of  beefe  &  one  Barrill  of  Mutton". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouth^  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Gilbert  Gillas- 
pee,  Jan.  22,  1675/6. 
"One  Barrill  of  Beefe  &  three  Barills  of  porke". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouth^  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Emanuell  Cur- 
tis, Jan.  22,  1675/6. 
"One  Barrill  of  beefe." 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouth^  Joseph 


82  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Joseph  Borden, 

Jan.  23,  1675/6. 

"Three  Barrills  porke.  Three  Barrills  of  beefe". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Poytsmouth,  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Hester  Forster, 
Jan.  22,  1675/6. 

"One  Ban-ill  of  Beefe,  One  Barrill  of  Mutton,  One  firkin 
of  Hoggs  fatt". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ship  Orijane  [  ?  ] ,  Henry 
Triggino,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Joseph  Bor- 
den, Dec.  8,  1676. 
"Six  barills  &  one  hhd."    |  No  merchandise  named]. 

Shipped   by  Walter   Newbury   on   Sarah,  John   Hodge, 

master,  Newport  to  New  York  unto  John  Robinson,  Dec. 

12,  1676. 

"Eight  Pipes  Fieall  [Fayal]  wine  &  two  pipes  of  Green 

Canary". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  [No  name  given],  John 
Mash  I  Marsh  ] ,  master,  Newport  to  New  York,  for  account 
of  William  Richardson  and  Fred  Phillips,  Jan.  1 2,  1676/7. 
[Name  of  Christopher  Almy  signed  in  master's  place] 
"fourteen  hhds  &  4  quarter  Caske  of  brandy". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  [No  name  given]  Chris- 
topher Almy,  master,  Newport  to  New  York,  unto  Fred- 
rick Phillips.  Jan.  24,  1676/7. 
"Fower  [four]  Butts  and  Fower  Spanish  pipes". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  [No  name  given]  Chris- 
topher Almy,  master,  Newport  to  New  York,  unto  Robert 
Learoke,  Jan.  24,  1676/7. 
"one  Butt  [wine?]". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouth,  Joseph 


THE  WALTER  NEWBURY  SHIPPING  BOOK  83 

Brver,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Thomas  Froth- 
well,  Feb.  7,  1676/7. 
"2  Firkins  of  hoggs  fatt". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouth^  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Joseph  Walker, 
Feb.  7,  1676/7. 
"Six  barlls  of  beefe  &  four  barlls  of  porke". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouth^  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Joseph  Borden, 
Feb.  7,  1676/7. 
"one  barll  of  porke  &  one  barll  of  beefe". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouth^  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Hester  For- 
ster,  Feb.  7,  1676/7. 
"one  barll  of  porke  &  one  barl  of  beefe". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouthy  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Joseph  Grove, 
Feb.  7,  1676/7. 
"two  barlls  of  beefe  &  one  barll  of  Porke". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Ship  Newport^  Henry 
Beer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Joseph  Walker, 
July  16,  1677. 
"two  barlls  of  oyl  &  two  firkins  of  butter". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Ship  Newport,  Henry 
Beer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Joseph  Borden, 
July  16,  1677. 
"two  barlls  of  tarr". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  [illegible],  Chas.  Borden, 
master,  Newport  to  New  York,  unto  John  Robinson,  Aug. 
2,  1677. 

"Five  baggs  of  woll  Cont  [containing] Six  hundred  &  sev- 
enty pounds  of  woll."  .  ,    . 


84  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouth^  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Joseph  Walker, 
Sept.  2,  1677. 
"one  hhd  of  Bread". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouth^  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Abigail  Cley- 
pooll,  Sept.  2,  1677. 
"one  hhd  of  bread  &  pees". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Portsmouth^  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Hester  For- 
ster  for  account  of  Joseph  Borden,  Sept.  2,  1677. 
"one  hhd  of  bread". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Sloop  Unity,  Joon  Jooson 
f  r]  Newport  to  New  York,  Sept.  20,  1677. 
"Eight  pipes  of  brandy  wine  wanting  of  being  full  45^ 
Inches  in  ye  wholld". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Sloop  Plunter,  John  John- 
son, master,  Newport  to  New  York,  unto  [illegible],  Feb. 
28,  1677. 

"Eight  barlls  of  Sider,  one  barell  of  muscovado  Suger,  one 
hundred  of  sheeps  woll,  &  twenty  fove  jills  wampum". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Barque  Newport ,  Ben- 
jamin Speare,  master,  Newport  to  Jamaica,  unto  Mathew 
Mahew,  Sept.  16,  1678. 
"twenty  one  barrell  of  fish  &  three  quarters". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Barque  Newport,  Ben- 
jamin Speare,  master,  Newport  to  Jamaica,  on  account  and 
risque  of  Robert  Story  of  New  York,  and  unto  Walter 
Newbury,  Sept.   16,  1678. 
"Thyrtty  barells  of  flower" 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Barque  Newport,  Ben- 
jamin Speare,  master,  Newport  to  Jamaica,  on  account  and 


THE  WALTER  NEWBURY  SHIPPING  BOOK  85 

risque  of  Jacob  Leroy,  and  unto  Walter  Newbury,  Sept. 
16,   1678. 

"three  hhds  bread  &  pees  three  barlls  oyle,  one  barll  porke, 
ten  barlls  &  Six  half  barlls  flower,  one  Chest  of  Candles". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Barque  Nezvport,  Ben- 
jamin Speare,  master,  Newport  to  Jamaica,  unto  Walter 
Newbury,  Sept.  16,  1678. 

"thirty  three  Barels  of  Pork,  thirteen  Barels  of  oyl,  twelve 
Barrels  of  Mackrel,  thirty  half  Barrels  of  Tar,  fourteen 
Barrels  &  four  half  Barrels  of  Flower,  Six  Barrels  of  Pease, 
one  Barel  of  Beef,  one  Barrel  &  four  Sacks  of  Onions,  six- 
teen Firkins  of  Butter,  ten  Boxes  of  Candles,  three  Bar- 
rels of  Rush,  five  Hogsheads  of  Bread  &  Pease  three  Hogs- 
heads of  Pease,  fifty  six  Bushels  of  Pease  loose  in  ye  Bread- 
room  &  in  the  Hould  Eleven  hundred  of  Staves". 

Shipped  by  Ann  Newbury,  on  Ship  [  r  ]  Portsfnout/7,  Joseph 
Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Timothy  Mar- 
shall, July  11,  1679. 
"Fowler  [four]  Firkings  of  Buter". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Ship  [  ?  ]  Portsmouth, 
Joseph  Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Samuel! 
Carpenter,  Jan.  9,  1679/80. 

"twelve  Barells  of  Pork  for  ye  Proper  acctt  &  Risque  of 
Jno  Lambert  &  Compy  &  foure  Barlls  Pork  &  three  fir- 
kins of  butr  on  ye  acct.  &  Risque  of  thomas  hog  &  foure 
Barlls  Pork  &  three  firkins  of  Buttr  on  ye  acct.  &  Risque 
of  Thomas  Worden". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Ship  [ :  ]  Portsmouth, 
Joseph  Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Joseph 
Grove,  Jan.  9,  1679/80. 

"three  Barells  of  Pork  &  two  firkins  of  butter  for  .  .  . 
Joseph  Grove  &  one  Barll  Pork  &  one  firkin  of  buttr  for 
.    .    .    Hester  Forster". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Ship    [  ?  ]   Portsmouth, 


86  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Joseph  Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Joseph 
Borden,  Jan.  9,  1679/80. 

".  .  .  .  two  Barlls  Porke  for  ,  .  .  Hallalujah  Fisher  & 
two  Barlls  Pork  for  .   .   .   Sollamen  Ettles". 

Shipped  by  Order  of  John  Forster  on  Ship  [  ?  ]  Portsmouth^ 
Joseph  Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados  or  Nevis,  unto 
Abraham  Baruch  Henig,  July  30,  1680. 
"Six  Baggs  of  woole". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on    [  r  ]    L,yon  Nathaniel 

Osgood,  master,  Newport  to  Jamaica,  unto  George  Coal! 

and  for  account  and  risque  of  estate  of  Richard  Hunter, 

deceased. 

"seventeen  barlls  of  porke  &  two  firkins  of  hogs  fatt". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ship    [no  name  given] 
William    Hedge,    master,    Newport    to    Boston,    unto 
Nathaniel  Linds. 
"foure  hogsheads  of  Sugar." 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Ship  Adventure^  Stephen 
Cross,  master,  Newport  to  Boston,  unto  Edward  Shippen, 
Sept.  6,  1681. 
"five  packs  of  Beaver". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ship  [  ?  ]  Portsmouthy 
Joseph  Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Thomas 
Rodman,  Jan.  20,  1681/2. 

"fower  barrells  of  Porke,  Six  firkins  of  Soap,  ten  barrells 
tar,  three  barrells  Syder,  two  Chest  of  Candles". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Sloop  Dolphiriy  Chas. 
Brookes,  master,  Newport  to  New  York,  for  account  and 
risque  of  George  Coale  at  Port  Royal,  Jamaica,  and  unto 
William  Frumpton,  Jan.  15,  1682/3. 
"thirteen  firkins  of  Buttur". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Merchant  Adven- 


THE  WALTER   NEWBURY  SHIPPIXC.   BOOK  87 

ture,  John  Bab,  master,  Newport  to  Carolina,  unto  Joseph 
Morton,  Jan.  27,  1682   3. 

"twenty  Six  horse  hind  &  hfty  five  sheep  with  theire  Pro- 
vision Customary". 

Shipped  b\-  Walter  Newbury,  on  Ship  [r]  Portsmouth ^ 
Joseph  Bryer,  master,  Newport  to  Jamaica,  for  account 
and  risque  of  Walter  Newbury,  and  unto  Benjamin  New- 
bury.   Nov.  1684. 

"fifty  Barlls  Mackrell,  fifty  one  whole  &  forty  halfe  Barlls 
Porke,  Eight  whole  &  forty  halfe  Barls  Beefe,  twenty  Barls 
Syder,  nine  Barls  beer,  two  hgds  &  nine  Barls  Oynions, 
twelve  hgds  Bisket,  five  w^hole  &  30  halfe  Barlls  flower, 
one  hundred  Barlls  Tar,  Sixty  one  firkins  Buttr,  two  Barlls 
0}4e,  fourteen  Hogds  fish,  nine  firkins  of  hogs  fatt,  ten 
Boxes  of  Candles,  1540  Staves,  Eight  Caske  of  Apples, 
fifty  Cheeses". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Ketch  Mary^  Hugh 
Power,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Oliver  Hooton, 
Nov.  29,  1684. 

"Eight  whole  &  five  halfe  barlls  of  porke,  ten  barlls  of 
tarr,  one  halfe  Barll  of  beef,  one  halfe  barll  of  Aples,  one 
halfe  barll  of  bread  &  wheat,  one  horse,  three  sheepe,  a 
small  bag  containing  1 10  peces  of  8/8,  3  Cheeses,  one  fir- 
kin of  buter,  3  barlls  Syder". 

Shipped  by  Walter  New^bury  on  Sloop  Betty,  Daniel 
Gould,  master,  Newport  to  Antigua,  on  account  and  risque 
of  Robert  Elton,  and  unto  Edward  Perry  and  Robert 
Elton,  Dec.  10,  1684. 

"twenty  Cask  Containg  one  tonn  of  tarr  on  account  and 
risque  of  Walter  Newbury,  one  barll  Apells,  one  barll  of 
beer,  one  half  barll  of  porke  &  one  firkin  of  butter  on 
account  and  risque  of  Robert  Elton". 

Shipped   by   Walter   Newbury   on   Sloop   Betty,   Daniel 


bo  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Gould,  master,  Newport  to  Antigua,  unto  Thomas  Turner, 

planter,  Nov.  10,  1684. 

"five  barlls  of  porke,  two  firkins  of  butter  &  one  barll  of 

Syder." 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Ship  Nevis  Merchanty 
Timothy  Clarke,  master,  Newport  to  Nevis,  on  account  and 
risque  of  Nathaniel  Johnson  and  unto  Timothy  Clarke, 
March  24,  1684. 
"one  larg  bay  mare  &  two  horses". 

Shipped  by  Benjamin  Newbury  on  Ship  Amity ^  Richard 
Diamond,   master,   Newport   to   Barbardos,   unto   Oliver 
Hooten,  July  11,  1685. 
"tenn  firkins  of  Butter". 

Shipped  by  Benjamin  Newbury  on  Ship  Amity y  Richard 
Diamond,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  "Widdow 
Ann  Gallop",  July  11,  1685. 

"One  Large  gray  Gelding  markt  on  ye  Buttock  &  three 
water  Cask". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Sloop  [illegible],  Daniel 

Stanton,  master,  Newport  to  Philadelphia,  for  account  and 

risque  of  Zacharia  Whitpaine,  April  3,  1686. 

"Seven  hhds  &  two  halfe  hhds  of  [illegible]. 

Eight  barrls  pork,  Six  Barlls  beef,  three 

firkins  of  butter,  one  hundred  and  Sixty 

bushels  of  Indian  Corn." 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  the  Bristoll  Merchant, 
Samuel  Woodberry,  master,  Newport  to  London,  unto 
William  Phillips,  May  5,  1686. 
"23  hhds  of  skines  and  one  barll  of  plain  sugar". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  the  Bristol  Merchanty 
Samuel  Woodberry,  master,  Newport  to  London,  unto 
George  Watts,  May  5,  1686. 

"Sixty  three  pounds  three  shillings  Starling  money  of 
England  and  ninty  peces  of  Eight  Spanish  money". 


THE  WALTER  NEWBURY  SHIPPING  BOOK  89 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  the  Bristol  Merchant, 
Samuel  Woodberry,  master,  Newport  to  London,  unto 
Edward  Hastwell  or  Nathanl  Wilmor,  May  5,  1686. 
"five  severall  bills  of  Exchaing  Containing  three  hundred 
&  fortty  pounds  Starlling  money  of  England". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Ship  Portsmouth,  Henry 
Beer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Joseph  Grove 
June  22,  1686. 

"nine  barlls  of  oyle,  52  Cask  of  tar.  Six  Cask  of  flower, 
thirteen  firkins  and  two  halfe  firkins  of  butter,  twelve  thou- 
sand four  hundred  Sixty  Eight  Staves,  three  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  Shingles,  Six  hundred  &  halfe  of  hoops 
and  two  horses  with  water  Casks". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Sloop  [no  name  given] 
Jonathan  Marsh,  master,  Newport  to  Burlington  on  Del- 
aware,unto  Thomas  Budd,  Sept.  6,  1686. 

"Six  hhds  of  Rum"  [also  sonie  wool — quantity  written 
illegibly] 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Sloop  [no  name  given] 
Peter  Triby,  master,  Newport  to  Boston,  unto  Edward 
Shippen,  Sept.  9,  1686. 

"Six  tonn  &  a  halfe  of  brazalette  wood  &  a  bundle  of  bever  & 
deer  skins  and  foure  hhds  of  Sugar". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Sloop  [no  name  given] 
Peter  Triby,  master,  Newport  to  Boston,  for  account  and 
risque  of  Edward  Perry  and  unto  Elizabeth  Perry,  Sept. 
9,  1686. 
"nineteen  halfe  barlls  of  flower" 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Sloop  Dolfh'm,  William 
Sikes,  master,  Newport  to  Boston,  for  account  and  risk 
of  Bartholomew  Gidney  of  Salem,  and  unto  Edward  Ship- 
pen,  Oct.  6,  1686. 
"seven  bages  of  sheepes  woll" 


90  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Ann  and  Mary,  Sam 
Cranston,    master,    Newport    to    Barbados,    unto    Joseph 
Grove,  Oct.  20,  1686. 
"foure  barlls  &  Six  halfe  barlls  of  onions" 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Sloop  Unity ,  Joseph 
Worden,  master,  Newport  to  Shrowsbery,  unto  Thomas 
Eaton,  Nov.  3,  1686. 

"one  hhd  Rum,  ten  Iron  kettles,  two  bages  Shott,  two  hatts, 
a  CandleStick,  Seven  dozand  halfe  of  flshooks". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Sloop  Desire,  Daniel 
Stanton,  master,  Newport  to  Boston,  unto  Edward  Shippen, 
merchant  in  Boston,  Dec.  1,  1686. 

"one  hundred  Cheeses,  Six  firkins  of  butter,  one  bag  of 
pewter,  one  bag  Bese  wax,  twelve  doz  fire  shovell  pans". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  [  ?  ]  Portsmouth,  Henry 

Beer,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Joseph  Grove, 

Dec.  25,  1686. 

"ten  thousand  five  hundred  of  white  oake  barrll  Staves 

with  Heading,  twenty  barll  train  oyle,  thirty  four  halfe 

barrll  beefe,  three  firkins  of  hogs  lard,  three  halfe  barrl 

Cranbury,  fiveteen  Cask  of  tarr,  one  thousand  two  hundred 

Shingles,  five  horses  with  fourteen  water  Cask,  a  hundred 

&  halfe  of  Hoops". 

Also  "Eight  boxes  of  Candles  .   .   .  acct  &  risque  of  Joseph 

Groves". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Ship  Providence,  Joseph 

Bryer,  master,  Newport  for  Barbados,  unto  Joseph  Grove, 

Jan.  14,  1686/7. 

[lumber  and  horses,  quantity  illegible] 

Also  "one  box  of  Candels  &  one  hors  [horse]" 

Also  "twenty  one  thousand  foure  hundred  twenty  seven 

futt  of  bords,  nineteen  thousand  foure  hundred   24  of 

staves,  nineteen  thous  of  Shingles  &  23  Sheepe". 


■     THE  WALTKR   NEWBURY  SHIPI'INCi   BOOK  91 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on    [  r  ]    Dolphin^  Richard 

Foster,  master,  Newport  to  Boston,  unto  John  Bisler  March 

31,  1687. 

"twenty  foure  barlls  of  porke  &  a  hhd  of  [illegible],  two 

deer  skins  Loose" 

Also  "twenty  six  barls  of  porke  and  four  half  barls"  to 

Stephen  Mason. 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Sloop  Ark  Noil  Mew, 
master,  Newport  to  New  York,  unto  Gabriel  Munveal  of 
N.  Y.,  Nov.  8,  1688. 
"26  firkins  of  buttr". 

Shipped  by  Walter   Newbury,   on   Sloop   Desire,   Peter 
Tribly,  master,  Newport  to  Boston,  unto  Anthony  Hay- 
wood of  Boston,  Nov.  20,  1688. 
"Two  pipes  of  wine". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Brigantine  Elizabeth  &' 

Mary,  Daniel  Stanton,  master,  Newport  to  Jamaica,  unto 

Thimothy  Weymouth,  Dec.  18,  1688. 

"Three  Barrls  of  Oyle,  Six  barll  porke,  Tenn  firkins  of 

Buttr,  Three  Caske  of  Cheese,  Two  Barlls  &  one  halfe  Barll 

of  Cranberry". 

Also  "Two  Barll  of  Oyle,  Two  firkins  of  Buttr,  one  Caske 

of  Cheese  .  .  .  acct.  &  risque  of  Joseph  Nauris  in  Jamaica". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury,  on  Ship  Newport,  Daniel 
Gould,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Christianus 
Gardner  and  William  Wheeler,  March  19,  1688. 
"four  barrll  porke,  four  barrll  beefe  &  four  boxes  Candles". 

Shipped  by  Walter  Newbury  on  Brigantine  Indeavour, 
John  Hart,  master,  Newport  to  Barbados,  unto  Christianus 
Gardner  and  Wm.  Wheeler,  April  13,  1689. 
"Ten  Barrll  of  Oyle,  one  Thousand  of  hhd  Staves,  five 
hundred  of  hhd  hoops,  one  box  of  Candles  &  four  horses 
with  Oats,  hey  &  water  Caske  [casks]  as  Customary." 


92  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

First  Settlers  in  East  Providence 

By  W.  LeRoy  Wood 

William  Blackstone  or  Blaxton  was  the  first  white 
settler  of  Rehoboth,  coming  from  Boston.  He  it  was  who 
gave  the  Boston  Common  to  the  settlers  of  that  town.  In 
1635,  he  built  a  home  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Seekonk 
River,  today  known  as  the  Blackstone  River.  The  place 
where  the  walls  of  his  house  were  raised,  then  a  part  of 
Rehoboth,  about  three  miles  above  the  city  of  Pawtucket, 
is  now  known  as  Cumberland,  R.  I. 

Roger  Williams  was  the  second  white  man  to  come  to 
the  region  now  known  as  Rhode  Island,  and  the  first  white 
man  to  come  to  what  is  today  East  Providence.  He  arrived 
in  the  spring  of  1636.  But  following  the  advice  of  his 
friend,  the  Governor  of  Plymouth,  who  did  not  desire  to 
displease  the  Bay  Colony,  Roger  Williams  moved  to  the 
westward,  across  the  Seekonk. 

Another  white  man  has  left  his  name  on  the  early 
records,  although  the  information  regarding  him  is  meagre. 
In  the  Plymouth  Colonial  Records  (Vol.  II,  page  67)  we 
learn  that  one,  John  Hazell  was  living  at  "Seacunck"  in 
the  year  1642. 

The  man  whom  we  regard  as  the  real  founder  of  Reho- 
both, and  particularly  of  the  part  to  be  later  known  as 
East  Providence,  was  the  Rev.  Samuel  Newman.  It  has 
been  said  that  "the  history  of  the  early  colonies  is  the  his- 
tory of  the  churches."  The  Rev.  Samuel  Newman  was  a 
pastor  in  Yorkshire,  England,  for  ten  years.  Dissatisfied 
with  religious  conditions  in  England,  he  came  to  America 
in  1635.  For  four  years  he  made  his  home  in  Dorchester, 
Mass.  In  1639,  he  became  pastor  of  the  Weymouth 
Church,  staying  in  that  town  for  four  years. 


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94  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

In  the  spring  of  1644,  he  left  Weymouth  with  nearly 
three  score  men  and  their  families  and  came  to  the  westerly 
bounds  of  Plymouth  Colony.  Arriving  at  the  region  bor- 
dering the  Seekonk  River  they  decided  to  make  this  their 
home.  The  Indians  called  the  region  "Seekonk"  or  "Sea- 
cunk."  It  is  believed  that  the  name  was  the  combination 
of  two  Indian  words,  "seaki"  meaning  black,  and  "konk," 
goose — black  goose.  These  geese  frequently  alighted  in 
the  Seekonk  River  and  cove  as  they  passed  over  the  section. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Newman  called  the  place  "Rehoboth"  for 
he  said,  "the  Lord  hath  opened  a  way  for  us."  (Gen. 
26:24.)    The  word  means  room  or  broad  place. 

From  the  records  and  accounts  of  the  beginning  of  the 
town  we  learn  that  the  houses  of  this  first  colony  were  built 
in  a  semi-circle  around  Seekonk  Common,  opening  toward 
the  Seekonk  River,  with  the  church  and  the  minister's 
house  in  the  center.  This  has  been  referred  to  frequently 
as  "the  Ring  of  the  Town." 

Where  was  the  site  of  this  Ring?  Beyond  the  fact  that 
the  Ring  encircled  the  common  and  opened  toward  the 
river,  we  find  no  record.  Seekonk  Common  lay  between 
the  junction  of  Pleasant  Street  and  Pawtucket  Avenue, 
and  the  junction  of  Pawtucket  and  Newman  Avenues. 

From  a  resident  of  Rumford  who  has  taken  a  deep  inter- 
est in  the  events  and  conditions  in  the  early  colony — Mr. 
George  ^Carpenter,  we  learn  that  at  one  time  a  row  of 
buttonwood  trees  followed  the  outline  of  this  ring.  Today 
none  of  these  trees  are  living.  Thirty  years  ago  one  of 
these  trees  was  standing.  During  his  youth  Mr.  Carpenter 
noted  and  marked  the  site  of  eight  of  these  trees.  He  was 
told  by  some  of  the  older  inhabitants  of  the  town  that  they 
formed  a  part  of  the  original  line  of  trees  which  extended 
along  the  Ring  of  the  town. 


^Son  of  Horatio  Carpenter. 


FIRST  SETTLERS  IN  EAST  PROVIDENCE  95 

The  location  of  the  trees  that  Mr,  Carpenter  noted  are 
marked  upon  the  accompanying  map.  By  them  we  can 
trace  the  probable  outline  of  the  "Ring,"  We  see  that 
the  conditions  of  the  record  are  met,  that  the  Ring  was 
around  the  Common,  opening  toward  the  river,  with  the 
church  in  the  center. 

The  first  church  building  erected  by  these  colonists  stood 
to  the  south  of  the  present  building.  It  is  belived  to  have 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  Newman  monument  in  the  ceme- 
tery. This  first  building  was  erected  in  1646,  and  was  said 
to  be  a  very  crude  structure. 

Seventy-one  years  later  it  was  replaced  by  another  build- 
ing which  was  north  of  the  monument,  near  the  site  of  the 
tomb,  and  still  on  the  south  side  of  the  road.  In  1810,  a 
third  building  was  erected,  this  time  across  the  road.  This 
building  is  still  standing,  the  present  Newman  Church, 
known  to  the  people  of  this  vicinity  and  to  the  patrons  of 
the  United  Electric  Railway  as  the  "White  Church." 

Its  predecessor  was  taken  down  and  the  timbers  were 
used  for"  the  frame  and  planks  for  the  walls  of  the  Old 
Town  Hall,  which  is  located  on  Pawtucket  Avenue  at 
East  Providence  Center  (  Rumford).  There  is  a  tradition,' 
we  are  told,  that  this  Town  Hall  was  first  located  where 
the  Union  Primary  School  now  stands,  but  that  there  is 
no  means  of  verifying  that  statement.  So  far  as  the  rec- 
ords show,  this  building  stood  on  the  present  location  of 
the  Public  Library  at  the  the  Center  until  1904,  when  it 
was  moved  to  its  present  site,  and  the  Library  built  upon 
its  earlier  location. 

In  his  "History  of  Rehoboth,"  Mr,  Leonard  Bliss  gives 
us  the  following  account  of  an  early  town  meeting  as 
noted  in  the  town  record  of  that  early  colony, 

"At  a  general  meeting  of  the  town  of  Seakunk  being 
the  9th  of  the  10th  month  (December)  1644,  at  law- 


~Providence  Evening  Bulletin,  -^ug.  27,  1928. 


96  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

ful  warning  given,  by  reason  of  many  meetings,  and 
other  strong  causes  for  the  easing  of  the  great  trouble, 
and  for  the  (word  illegible)  and  the  deciding  of  con- 
troversies between  party  and  party  as  well  as  the  pro- 
posing of  men's  levies  to  be  made  and  paid,  and  for 
the  well  ordering  of  the  town  affairs,  as  may  stand 
with  future  equity,  according  to  our  former  combina- 
tion, the  inhabitants  of  said  place  have  chosen  these 
men  here  named — 

Alexander  Winchester  William  Smith 

Walter  Palmer  Robert  Martin 

Richard  Bowen  Henry  Smith 

Richard  Wright  Stephen  Payne 

"These  men  were  called  'Townsmen'  and  were 
the  predecessors  of  the  officials  who  today  constitute 
the  Town  Council.  But  these  Townsmen  had  greater 
powers  than  do  the  members  of  the  present  Town 
Council.  At  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  Townsmen 
it  was  ordered  that  the  recording  of  any  man's  land 
in  the  Town  Book  shall  be  to  him  and  his  heirs  a  suffi- 
cient assurance  forever, 

"In  1645,  the  people  submitted  to  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  Plymouth  Court  and  were  incorporated  under 
the  name  of  Rehoboth.  On  the  9th  of  June,  1645, 
lots  were  drawn  for  land  upon  the  great  plain,  and 
the  list  gives,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose,  the  names 
of  all  the  original  settlers."  This  list  can  be  read  in 
the  histories  of  both  Bliss  and  Tilton. 


97 


Esther  Wii.lett  Thimble 


On  page  126  of  Volume  XXIII  of  the  Collections  will 
be  found  an  article  on  the  Esther  Willett  thimble  in  which 
it  is  stated  that  the  thimble  was  found  during  the  excava- 
tions in  connection  with  the  building  of  Col.  H.  Anthony 
Dyer's  house  in  East  Providence.  Colonel  Dyer  informs 
us  that  the  thimble  was  found  in  the  garden,  not  in  the 
ruins  of  the  old  house,  and  paints  an  attractive  word  picture 
of  the  supposal  that  Esther  lost  her  thimble  one  day  while 
sewinu;  in  the  garden. 


New  Publications  of  Rhode  Island  Interest 

Robert  Feke,  Colonial  Portrait  Painter  by  Henry  Wilder 
Foote,  is  an  illustrated  volume  of  223  pages.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  one  of  the  earliest  studies  of  Feke  was 
made  by  Professor  William  C.  Poland  and  printed  in  the 
"Rhode  Island  Historical  Society  Proceedings,"  1905, 
p.  73. 

The  Colony  House  by  Frank  H.  Swan,  is  a  leaflet  of  1 8 
pages,  issued  by  the  Akerman-Standard  Company. 

The  Society  of  Colonial  Wars  in  Rhode  Island  has 
issued  a  pamphlet  of  20  pages:  Samuel  Gorton^ s  'Letter  to 
Lord  Hyde  in  Behalf  of  the  Narragansett  Sachems,  April 
4,  1662. 

Sachems  of  the  Narragansetts,  is  an  illustrated  volume  of 
1 1  7  pages,  dealing  with  the  lives  of  the  rulers  of  our  local 
Indians,  which  has  just  been  published  by  the  Rhode  Island 
Historical  Society. 

Antiques  for  December,  1930,  contains  an  illustrated 
article  showing  that  Malbone's  painting  called  "The 
Hours"  is  really  based  directly  on  Samuel  Shelley's  paint- 
ing with  the  same  title,  although  as  Ruel  P.  Tolman 
observes,  "Malbone  has  evidently  improved  upon  Shelley." 


98  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Old-T'tme  Ne'-jc  England  for  January,  1931,  contains 
an  illustrated  article  on  New  England  windmills  includ- 
ing an  account  of  the  old  windmills  of  Rhode  Island. 

The  New  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register 
for  January,  1931,  contains  an  article  on  the  ancestry  of 
Peter  Tallman  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I. 

The  Early  Quakers  and  the  Old  Quaker  Aieeting 
House^  a  paper  by  W.  L.  Watson,  has  been  published  as 
"Bulletin  Number  5"  of  the  Jamestown  Historical  Society. 

The  Calendar  of  State  Papers  for  1717-1718,  which  has 
recently  been  issued  by  the  British  Government  contains 
several  references  to  Rhode  Island  affairs,  including  fur- 
ther data  on  the  controversey  over  the  appointment  of  the 
Governor  of  Massachusetts  as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
militia  of  Rhode  Island,  the  account  of  the  capture  of  the 
Rhode  Island  brigantine  Johfi  and  Thomas  by  pirates,  and 
an  estimate  of  Rhode  Island  wool  exports. 

Volume  II  of  The  "Old  Stone  Bank"  History  of  Rhode 
Island  is  a  book  of  141  pages  by  John  Williams  Haley. 

The  Times  Literary  Supple^nent  (London)  of  Feb.  5, 
1931,  contains  a  review  of  the  January  issue  of  the  Rhode 
Island.  Historical  Society  Collections. 

Antiques  for  January,  1931,  contains  an  article  on  early 
Rhode  Island  pottery  by  Charles  D.  Cook. 


Notes 


99 


The  Society  recently  obtained  a  copy  of  a  hitherto 
unknown  Rhode  Island  broadside  of  1778.  It  is  a  resolu- 
tion in  regard  to  guns  which  was  passed  at  the  Second  May 
Session  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Rhode  Island,  in  1778. 

The  following  persons  have  been  elected  to  membership 
in  the  Society: 


Mrs.  William  Wood  Estes 
Mr.  David  Davidson 
Mr.  Robert  S.  Emerson 
Mr.  G.  Burton  Hibbert 
Mr.  George  E.  Bixby 
Mr.  Fred  H.  Barrows 
Mr.  Edgar  W.  Martin 
Miss  Anna  Chapin 
Edgar  B.  Smith,  M.D. 
Miss  Mittie  Arnold 
Mrs.  I.  B.  Merriman 
Mr.  John  B.  Archer 
Mr.  W.  L.  Watson 
Mr.  Zenas  W.  Bliss 
Mr.  Ward  E.  Smith 
Mrs.  Louis  C.  Gerry 
Mr.  Eugene  A.  Clauss 
Miss  Abbie  P.  Gardner 
Mr.  Paul  C.  De  Wolf 
Miss  Louisa  A.  Sweetland 


Mr.  Henry  T.  Samson 
Mr.  Daniel  L.  Willmarth,  Jr. 
Mr.  Jarvis  M.  Morse 
Mrs.  William  A.  McAuslan 
Dr.  Madelaine  R.  Brown 
Mr.  Henry  A.  DuVillard 
Mrs.  Robert  Ives  Gammell 
Mrs.  Harold  P.  Salisbury 
Mrs.  George  St.  }.  Sheffield 
Mr.  Edward  J.  C.  Bullock 
Mrs.  Edward  J.  C.  Bullock 
Mr.  David  B.  Lovell,  Jr. 
Mr.  W.  Granville  Meader 
Mr.  Sidney  D.  Humphrey 
Mrs.  John  S.  Holbrook 
Mrs.  George  H.  Huddy,  Jr. 
Miss  Jane  Arnold  Thomas 
Mrs.  George  W.  H.  Ritchie 
Mrs.  Wallace  Campbell 
Mr.  G.  Frederick  Frost 


100  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Report  of  Membership  Committee 

In  accordance  with  the  By-Laws  your  Committee  on 
Membership  submits  the  following  report: 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  it  was  thought  advisable  to 
look  over  the  field  with  the  idea  of  increasing  the  member- 
ship, the  plan  adopted  was  to  send  each  member  a  printed 
form,  wherein  they  could  name  prospective  members.  The 
members  responded  to  this  request  very  well.  Of  course, 
it  was  necessary  to  clear  these  lists  to  avoid  duplication,  as 
some  names  were  suggested  of  persons  who  were  already 
members,  while  the  names  of  other  non-members  appeared 
upon  more  than  one  list.  By  this  simple  method  the  admis- 
sion of  1 1 5  new  members  was  acquired.  This  is  the  Rhode 
Island  Historical  Society,  a  state-wide  organization,  and 
it  is  the  opinion  of  your  Committee  that  while  we  naturally 
draw  heavily  upon  the  City  of  Providence  for  our  mem- 
bership yet  there  is  undoubtedly  quite  a  number  of  eligible 
and  desirable  members  in  the  other  cities  and  towns  who 
are  interested  in  Rhode  Island  history  and  its  institutions, 
and  who  upon  invitation  would  be  pleased  to  be  identified 
as  members.  It  is  with  this  idea  in  view  that  your  Com- 
mittee will  give  special  attention  during  the  coming  year 
to  the  outlying  districts  without  relinquishment,  however, 
of  our  vigilance  and  attention  in  the  capital  city. 

New  members  since  the  last  annual  meeting  115,  of 
whom  74  reside  in  Providence,  33  in  Rhode  Island  outside 
of  Providence,  and  8  outside  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island. 

There  has  been  14  lost  by  death. 

No  members  have  been  dropped  from  the  roll  of  mem- 
bership on  account  of  the  non-payment  of  dues. 

The  present  membership  is  566,  the  largest  membership 
in  the  history  of  the  Society. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

Henry  C.  Dexter, 
January  13,  1931.  Chairman. 


treasurer's  REI'ORT  101 


RHODK   ISLAM)   HIS'l'ORICAL  SOCIKTY 

TRlvASURKR'S  REPORT 

INCOME   ACCOUNT   FOR  YEAR    1930 


Receipis 


Annua]  Dues  $2,638. ()() 

Dividends  and  Interest  5,530.14 

Rental  of  Rooms 1  10.00 

State  Appropriation  1,500.00 

Contributions   40.00 


$9,818.14 

Expenditures 

Binding $326.62 

Books   83  3.37 

Electric  Light  and  Gas 46.0  5 

Exhibitions  163.79 

Expense 295.09 

Grounds  and  Building 197.41 

Heating    700.00 

Newspaper  Account 21.70 

Publications 976.63 

Salaries  :.......... 5,520.00 

Supplies    271.17 

Telephone    74.40 

Water  8.00 


$9,434.23 
Surplus  Income  Account 383.91 

$9,818.14 


102  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

STATEMENT  OF  CONDITION,  DECEMBER   31,    1930 

Assets 

Grounds  and  Building $25,000.00 

Investments: 

Bonds 
$4,000.  Cedars  Rapids  Mfg.  &  Power  Co.  5s, 

1953  $3,228.88 

3,000.  Central  Mfg.  District    3,000.00 

3,000.  Cleveland  Elec.   Illuminating  Co.    5s, 

1939 ^ 2,565.42 

1,000.  Commonwealth  Edison  Co.  5s,  1943         965.25 

4,000.  Dominion  of  Canada  5s,  1952 4,003.91 

1,000.  Western  Electric  Co.  5s,  1 944 998.1  7 

4,000.  No.  61  Broadwav  Building,  1st  Mtge. 

5>^s,  1950' ^ 4,000.00 

4,000.  Minncota  Power  &  Light  Co.   1st  5s, 

1955  3,930.00 

4,000.  Monongahela  \^a]]e\'  Traction  Co.   1st 

5s,' 1942    ' 3,685.00 

2,000  Ohio  Power  &  Light  Co.  1st  &  Ref.  5s, 

1952    1,974.00 

2,000.  Narragansett  Electric  Co.  1st  5s,  1957  1,980.00 
2,000.  Shell  Union  Oil  Corporation  5s,  1947    1,979.00 

2,000.  Koppcrs  Gas  &  Coke  Co.  5s,  1947 1,962.50 

1,000.  Indianapolis  Power  &  Light  Co.  1st  5s, 

195  7 994.50 

Stocks 
54  shs.  New  York  Central  Railroad  Company   $3,766.47 

1  25  shs.  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company 7,638.35 

30  shs.  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad  Company 2,1  1  2.50 

7  shs.  Lehigh  \'a]ley  Coal  Sales  Company  23  5.39 

40  shs.  Milwaukee  Elec.  Railway  &  Light  Co., 

Pfd ' 3,900.00 

64  shs.  American  Telephone  &  Telegraph  Co.    5,960.0  5 

3  50  shs.  Providence  Gas  Company 5,75  5.68 

1  5  shs.  Providence  National  Bank  (    ,  onn  qq 

30  shs.  Merchants'  National  Bank  Building  \ 

45  shs.  Blackstone  Canal  National  Bank 1,0  50.00 

52  shs.  Atchison,   Topeka   &   Santa    Fe    Rwy. 

Co.,  Com '      6,247.85 

20  shs.  American  Power  &  Light  Co.,  $5.  Pfd.  1,696.50 
30  shs.  Standard  Gas  &  Electric  Co.,  $4.  Pfd.  1,906.50 
3  5  shs.  Public  Service  Corp'n.  of  New  Jersey, 

$5.  Pfd ' '..   3,327.63 

80,663.55 

Cash  on  hand 3,229.75 


$108,893.30 


trkasurkr's  report  103 

LlABIT.ITlES 

Equipment   Fund   $25,000.00 

Permanent  Endowment  Fund: 

Samuel  M.  Noves $  1  2,000.00 

Henry  J.  Steere 10,000.00 

James  H.  Bugbee 6,000.00 

Charles  H.  Smith  5,000.00 

Charles  W.  Parsons  4,000.00 

William  H.  Potter 3,000.00 

Esek  A.  Jillson 2,000.00 

John  Wilson  Smith  1,000.00 

William  G.  Weld 1 ,000.00 

Charles  C.  Hoskins  1,000.00 

Charles  H.  Atwood  1,000.00 

46,000.00 

Publication  Fund: 

Robert  P.  Brown $2,000.00 

Ira  B.  Peck 1 ,000.00 

William  Gammell  1,000.00 

Albert  }.  Jones 1,000.00 

William  Elv 1 ,000.00 

Julia  Bullock  500.00 

Charles  H.  Smith 1 00.00 

— —        6,600.00 

George  L.  Shepley  Fund  5,000.00 

Life  Membership  5,5  50.00 

Franklin  Lvceum  Memorial  Fund  734.52 

Book  Fund  3,0 1  2.41 

Reserve  Fund  1,113.27 

Revolving  Publication  Fund 537.27 

Surplus   1 3,766.62 

Surplus  Income  Account   1,5  79.21 


$108,893.30 


104  RHODE   ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


PRINCIPAL  ACCOUNT  FOR  THE  YEAR  1930 


Receipts 


From  Surplus  Income  Account  $1,128.53 

$5,000.  New  York  Edison  Company  6>4s,  1941,  sold 5,687.50 

300.  United  Electric  Railways,  Prior  Lien  4s,  1  946,  sold  1  59.00 

64  rts.  American  Telephone  &  Telegraph  Company,  sold 1,086.18 

Life  Membership ' 200.00 

Reserve  Fund  69.00 

Revolving  Publication  Fund 343.00 

$8,673.21 

Balance  January   1,  1930 2,163.94 


$10,837.15 

Payments 

50  shs.  Providence  Gas  Company,  new  stock $750.00 

14  shs.  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  Company,  new  stock 70  3.38 

4  shs.  New  York  Central  R.  R.  Company,  new  stock 41  1.25 

20  shs.  American  Power  (S:  Light  Company,  bought 1,696.50 

3  5  shs.  Public  Service  Corp'n.  of  New  Jersey,  $5.  Pfd.,  bought  3,327.63 

30  shs.  Standard  Gas  &  Electric  Company,  $4.  Pfd.,  bought  1 ,906.50 

Revolving  Publication  Fund 391.3  5 


$9,186.61 
Balance  December  30,  1930 1,650.54 


$10,837.15 
Respectfully  submitted, 

Gilbert  A.  Harrinc;ton, 

Treasurer. 


:o* 


Roger  Williams  Pres 


RAW 


E.  A.  Johnson  Co. 


PROVIDENCE 


Rhode    Island 

Historical  Society 
Collections 


Vol.  XXIV 


JULY,  1931 


No.  3 


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A    MEXICAN     BANNhR    tAKKIl   I)    I'.V    A    r,\l    lAI.ION    OF     5(l(.l    MKN    FROM    'IHE 

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OF    CERRO    CiORDO,    APRIL     17,     1847,    AND    BROUGHT 

HOME   BY  (;EORGE  W.   GL'ILD,   AN 

AMERICAN  OFFICER. 

In  l/w  Socic/\'s  Museum. 


Issued  Quarterly 


68  Waterman  Streei,  Providence,  Rhode  Island 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Some  Ancient  Roads  in  the  Pettaquamscutt  Purchase 

by  William  Davis  Miller     .  .  .  .105 

Roger  Williams  and  the  English  Revolution 

by  James  Ernst  .  .  .  .  .118 

New  Publications  of  Rh(xle  Eland  Interest   .          .  129 

Wilbour  Bequest         .           .           .          .          .          .  130 

Queen's  Fort 130 

Notes 130 

Arnold  and  Mary  Lewis  SiE'er  Spoon          .          .  131 

Heraldic  Notes  ( III ustrated  by  Hcvold  Boivditch)  132 

List  of  Members  of  the  Society  .  .  .  .134 


RHODE 
HISTORICAL 


ISLAND 

SOCIETY 


COLLECTIONS 


VOL.  XXI\' 


July,  1931 


No.  3 


Addison  P.  Munkoe,  Presitleiit     Gilbert  A.  Harrington,  Treasurer 
Howard  W.  Preston,  Serretary  Howard  M.  Chapin,  Librarian 


I'he  Socict\-  assumes  no  responsibility  for  the  statements  or  the  opinions 
of  contributors. 


Some  Ancient  Roads  in  the  Pettaquamscutt 

Purchase 

By  William  Davis  Miller 

"The  road  turned  first  towards  the  left 
Where  Pinker's  quarry  made  the  cleft; 
The  path  turned  next  towards  the  right, 
Because  the  mastiff  used  to  bite, 
Then  left  because  of  Slippery  Height, 
And  then  again  towards  the  right — 
We  could  not  take  the  left  because 
It  would  have  been  against  the  laws.   .   ." 

G.  K.  Chesterton. 

The  eccentric  wanderings  of  the  ancient  roads  of  our 
forefathers  often  cause  us  to  ponder  until  we  realize  the 
difficulties  under  which  they  were  laid  out  and  constructed. 
Chesterton's  verses  are  apt,  as  they  depict  a  few  of  the  vari- 
ous obstructions  to  the  ideal  straight  roadj   and  in  our 


106  RHODE   ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

own  wilderness,  with  swamps,  out  crops  of  granite,  and 
rivers,  where  the  "riding  over"  place  must  be  chosen  in  lieu 
of  a  bridge,  there  were  many  natural  impediments  pre- 
sented. Also  there  were  the  boundaries  of  farms  and  house 
lots  to  be  skirted  for  to  cross  "would  have  been  against  the 
laws"  invoked  by  an  irate  landholder. 

It  may  be,  therefore,  of  interest  to  learn  when  some  of 
our  early  roads  were  built  and  why  they  were  laid  out  with 
such  seeming  disregard  to  the  axiom  concerning  the  straight 
line.  The  old  Narragansett  Country  was  such  a  typical 
example  that  it  may  well  be  taken  as  an  illustration  for  the 
rest  of  the  Colony. 

On  January  20,  1657',  Samuel  Wilson,  John  Porter, 
John  Hull,  Samuel  Wilbour  and  Thomas  Mumford  exe- 
cuted the  first  deed  of  purchase  with  the  Sachems  of  the 
Narragansett  Country  for  that  great  tract  of  land  which, 
as  a  result  of  that  and  subsequent  deeds,  the  last  dated  1661, 
was  to  contain,  in  area,  about  twelve  square  miles.  These 
five  men,  together  with  Benedict  Arnold  and  William 
Brenton  who  were  admitted  at  a  later  date,  were  known  as 
the  Purchasers  and  the  land  as  the  Pettaquamscutt 
Purchase. 

Unfortunately  the  minutes  of  the  nieetings  of  the  Pur- 
chasers are  most  incomplete  and  the  dates  of  the  earliest 
apportionments  of  the  lands  are,  therefore,  very  difficult  to 
present.  We  know,  however,  by  surviving  deeds  and  rec- 
ords, that  by  1663  the  Purchasers  had  commenced  to 
assign  and  sell  lands  to  outsiders;  but  it  is  certain  that  they 
had  previously  allotted  various  tracts  among  themselves. 

With  the  sale  of  lands  it  became  imperative  that  roads  be 
laid  out  as  the  country  side  had  nothing  as  a  means  of 
travel,  save  the  old  Indian  trails.  This  difficult  work  was 
evidently  undertaken  about  1660,  the  date  being  approxi- 
mately confirmed  by  two  depositions  made  in  the  year 


^Elishn  R.  Potter,  Early  History  oj  Narragausett,  pp.  275-2S 


ANCIF.XT    ROADS    IX    THE    PETTAQUAMSCUTT    ITRCHASE  107 

1  727  j  as  in  the  first  of  these,  dated  July  8th,  the  deponent, 
Benoni  Gardner",  referring  to  one  of  the  highways,  states 
that  it  "is  now  near  Seventy  \ears  Since  the  Laying  out  of 
ye  Same". 

These  depositions,  ona  by  Benoni  Gardner  as  referred 
to  above  and  the  other  b\'  Henry  Gardner  dated  three  days 
later,  are  the  main  ev'idence  that  remains  of  the  earliest 
roads  of  the  Purchase.  A  road  plat  by  Helme^  confirms  the 
position  and  direction  of  the  roads  to  such  a  degree  as  to 
verify  the  testimony  of  the  Gardners. 

As  the  first  settlement  in  the  Purchase  was  on  the  East- 
erly slope  of  what  is  now  Tower  Hill,  at  the  place  then 
called  Pettaquamscutt,  the  roads  laid  out  for  the  conven- 
ience of  the  house  holders  at  that  place  will  therefore  be 
considered  first.  The  other  roads  and  highways  leading  into 
the  "wilderness"  to  the  westward  alw^ays  have  their  begin- 
ning from  this  "Country  Road  at  the  head  of  the  Lotts". 

Benoni  Gardner  says  that  this  road,  now  known  as  the 
Tower  Hill  Road,  conimenced  "at  Esqr  Brinton  (s)  Land 
and  Extended  Northward  So  fare  as  sd  Purchase  went". 
Brinton,  or  Brenton's  land  was  situated  on  the  Southeast- 
erly side  of  the  road  through  the  village  of  Wakefield, 
from  the  Saugatucket  River  to  a  point  just  north  of  where 
the  Tower  Hill  House  now  stands.  Henry  Gardner  simply 
says  that  the  north  bound  of  the  road  was  the  Purchase 
line,  but  gives  no  southerly  termination.  It  niay  have  orig- 
inally commenced  at  the  Brenton  land,  but  it  would  soon 


'South  Kingstozcn  Land  Evidence,  vol.  3,  pp.  192-193.  Benoni  was 
the  eldest  son  of  George  and  Herodias  (Hicks)  Gardner.  He  was  born 
about   163  5  and  died  in   1731. 

"South  Kiiigit'izoi  Land  Efuience,  vol.  3,  p.  193.  Henrv  was  a  brother 
of  Benoni. 

■'Fragments  of  this  plat  b\-  James  Helme  were  found  among  the  papers 
of  the  late  Fdisha  R.  Potter.  It  is  dated  1  727  and  it  would  seem  probable 
that  the  depositions  were  taken  to  aid  in  the  drawing  and  layout  of  the 
roads. 


108 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


N 


„o...„/,. 


;:| 


^Si.,.. 


^^' 


I  UK    KUADS    AT    PK  ITAQUAMSCUTr 


The  upper  road  is  that  at  the  '■'head  of  the  Lotts"  iiozv  the  Post  Road.  The 
lozcer  is  the  road  along  the  riz'er  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  The  connecting  road 
to  the  right  is  the  \ornier  zvay  to  the  Lead  Mine.  The  road  leading  ufzcard 
from  the  Post  Road  is  the  highzcay  connecting  zcith  the  ''''Broad  Road''''  at  the 
Saugatucket  Riz'er.    Note  signatures  and  dates. 


ANCIENT    ROADS    IxN    THE   PETTAQUAMSCUTT    PURCHASE  109 

appear  to  have  been  extended  along  by  the  head  of  the 
Purchaser's  lands  that  bordered  on  the  westerly  side  of  the 
Salt  Ponds  and  ocean,  until  it  reached  at  least  the  southerly 
line  of  the  Purchase.  The  westerly  bounds  of  these  divi- 
sions of  land  mark  approximately  today,  or  at  least  prior 
to  recent  changes  due  to  motor  traffic,  the  course  of  the 
Post  Road  as  far  as  the  Charlestown  line,  which  line  at 
that  point  is  in  fact  the  original  southerly  bound  of  the  Pur- 
chase. This  extension,  for  some  distance,  is  shown  on  the 
Helme  fragment. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hill  "called  Pettequamscutt,"  or  rather 
at  the  foot  of  the  lots,  another  road  was  laid  out  on  the 
westerly  bank  of  the  Pettaquamscutt,  or  Narrow  River. 
This  road  originally  extended  from  south  of  the  Middle 
Bridge,  so  called,  to  Coles  Mill  which  was  adjacent  to  the 
site  of  Gilbert  Stuart's  birthplace.  At  present  it  stops  short 
of  this,  but  an  abandoned  driftway  through  the  woods  still 
shows  the  original  course.  Benoni  only  mentions  it,  but  his 
brother  George  says  that  there  "was  laid  out  a  highway 
sixty  years  agone  &  upwards  from  Segg  [Sedge]  Island 
along  by  the  foot  of  the  Lotts  on  the  Petequamscutt  Hill 
in  said  town  to  the  grist  mill  which  now  belongs  to  Elisha 
Cole  or  a  mill  that  stood  thereabouts."  The  mill  that 
"stood  thereabouts"  was  the  mill  built  by  Thomas  Mum- 
ford  in  1686  T  68 7. 

From  this  road  there  were  two  connecting  with  the  Coun- 
try Road  at  the  head  of  the  lots.  With  reference  to  the 
first  of  these,  Benoni  states  that,  "there  was  one  Highway 
laid  out  by  the  Lead  Mine  from  the  uper  highway  at  the 
head  of  the  Lotts  down  to  the  highway  to  the  foot  of  said 
Lotts".  Henry  Gardiner  states  that  it  was  formally  laid 
out  "for  the  convenience  of  going  to  sd  Lead  mine".  It 
was  originally  laid  out  with  the  generous  width  of  20  rods. 
However,  the  lead  mine,  known  by  the  Indians  as  Cajoot, 
does  not  appear  to  be  as  valuable  as  was  expected  and 
"afterwards  the  said  Purchasers  gave  four  Rods  in  width 


110  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

on  the  north  part  of  Sd  Twenty  Rods  [road]  from  the 
Lower  highway  to  the  Country  Rhod  afore  mentioned 
for  the  use  &  benefit  of  the  Town  and  the  remainder  part 
of  said  twenty  rods  the  Sd  Purchasors  conveyed  to  Thomas 
Mumford  .  .  .  in  part  pay  for  John  Mumford  surveying". 
The  road,  as  well  as  the  mine,  fell  into  disuse  and  first 
the  portion  from  the  mine  to  the  ri\'er  road  ceased  to  appear 
on  contemporary  plats  and  later  the  remainder.  It  is,  how- 
ever, shown  on  the  Helme  plat,  where  it  appears  as  the 
northern  of  the  two  roads. 

The  other  road  down  the  hill  to  the  river  still  exists 
very  much  the  same  as  when  laid  out.  This  was  the  road 
over  which  tra\'el  must  go  from  the  westward,  over  the 
Pettaquamscutt  Ri\'er,  across  Boston  Neck  to  the  ferry  to 
Conanicut  and  Newport.  This  road  is  the  southern  of  the 
two  on  the  Helme  Plat.  It  is  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
this  road  where  the  old  grave  yard  still  remains.  This  land 
was  originally  given  by  Samuel  Sewall  for  a  church  ^  and 
here  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  Torrey,  minister  and  doctor,  lies 
buried.  South  of  this  road  is  situated  the  remains  of  Jireh 
Bull's  stone  house  or  garrison,  ciestroyed  by  the  Indians  in 
1675. 

The  continuation  of  the  abo\'e  road,  which  led  to  the 
west  country,  where  the  extensive  farm  lands  of  the  set- 
tlers at  Pettaquamscutt  were  situated,  commenced  on  the 
road  at  the  head  of  the  lots  just  south  of  the  juncture  of 
the  so-called  country  road  and  the  road  described  in  the 
preceding  paragraph.  Benoni  Gardiner  simply  refers  to 
it  as  "an  highway  Runing  out  of  Sd  highway  [at  head  of 
the  lots]  Wistward  up  to  Sawcatucket  River"  .  .  .  Henry 
"also  saith  that  the  Said  Purchasers  Laid  out  a  Country 
Rhode  near  the  house  of  William  Browns  where  Joseph 
Hammons  now  Lives  Leading  ...  to  Saucotuct  River." 
Helme's  plat  shows  Hammon's  house,  which  was  for- 
mally Brown's,  which  places  the  beginning  of  the  road  very 
definitely.   On  this  road  stood  the  first  jail,  and  nearby,  the 


ANCIENT    ROADS    IN    THK    PF.TTAU  U  A  M  SCUTT    PURCHASE  111 

first  court  house  in  King's  Province,  later  King's  County. 
Also  on  this  road  the  Rev.  Dr.  Torre\'  lived  his  verv  useful 
life. 

At  the  Saugatucket  Ri\"er  this  road  met  the  most  remark- 
able road  laid  out  by  the  Purchasers.  Of  course  they  had 
land  a  plenty  but  vvh\-  such  a  gargantuan  highway!  No 
wonder  Helme,  many  years  later,  called  it  "the  Broad 
Road".  Benoni  Gardner  gives  it  first  place  in  his  deposition 
and  "Saith  that  to  his  Certain  Knowledge  that  the  highway 
Leading  from  the  Sawcatucket  In  Said  Kingstown  up  to 
the  Ceder  Swamp  was  laid  out  upon  a  Straight  Line  from 
Said  Sawcatucket  up  to  Sd  Ceder  Swamp  by  the  purchasers 
of  petaquamscutt  Purchase  fourty  Rod  in  bredth  through- 
out, Southward  from  Jeri  Bulls  Line  [,]  himself  being  then 
present  and  one  unproved  in  lyout  of  sd  highway  [,]  and 
also  the  Land  formerly  belonging  to  William  Haviland" 
.  .  .  "Jeri  Bulls  Line"  was  the  southerly  line  of  his  five 
hundred  acre  farm  at  Little  Rest  Hill.  This  great  road, 
220  feet  wide,  ran  in  a  westerh'  direction  from  the  Sauga- 
tucket Ri\"er  through  what  is  now  \Vatson's  Corner,  Gould 
and  Curtis  Corners,  to  the  edge  of  the  Cedar  Swamp  by 
Worden's  Pond. 

A  fragment  of  the  Helme  plat  fortunately  shows  this 
remarkable  road;  but  also  shows  that  the  generous  propor- 
tions were  not  carried  (.nit  but  for  two  hundred  and  ninety 
rods  from  the  Saugatucket  Ri\'er.  Here  it  narrowed  down 
to  ten  rods  for  a  distance  of  about  two  hundred  rods,  when 
it  abruptly  increased  to  twent\'-six  rods  until  it  reached  the 
Cedar  Swamp,  obligingly  turning  out  to  avoid  the  resi- 
dence of  William  Gardner,  Esquire!  There  are  references 
to  this  road  as  of  twenty-six  rods  in  width  but  its  \agaries 
would  allow  It  almost  any  designation. 

A  further  point  to  be  noticed  on  the  Helme  Plat  is  the 
utter  disregard  as  to  the  juncture  of  the  "Broad  Road"  with 
the  road  from  Pettaquamscutt  to  the  Saugatucket  at  John 
Kenyon,    jr.'s  house.     -\n\'one  tra\ellinu  this  road  todav 


j-fiiiiriniii^ 


ANCIENT    ROADS    IN    TIIR    PETTAQU AMSCUTT   PURCHASE  113 

may  still  note,  at  this  point,  a  sharp  bend  to  the  south  which 
was  necessarily  made  to  join  the  two  roads. 

The  "Broad  Road,"  however,  soon  was  shorn  of  its 
greatness^  for  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1726-7,  the 
proprietors  of  the  Pettaquamscutt  Purchase  ordered 
Helme  to  reduce  the  road  to  five  rods  width,  and  to  divide 
the  surplus  land  on  either  side  into  house  lots  for  the  Pur- 
chasers. The  plat  of  these  divisions  is  reproduced  here- 
with. 

Helme's  plat  further  shows  two  roads  running  north- 
ward from  the  "Broad  Road."    The  first  was  that  near 
the  Saugatucket  at  what  is  now  Watson's  Corners.    Benoni 
describes    this    as    follows:    "and    also    another    highway 
beginning  at  the  aforesd  fourty  Rode  highway  Run  North- 
ward by  the  Land  of  the  Aforesd  Bulls  then  turns  westward 
by  sd  Bulls  and  So  Long  Between  Robert  Potters  Land 
and  Wm  Knowles  Land  Until  it  Meetts  with  the  afore 
Named  Chepuchsaugg  River"  .  .  .  Henry  Gardner  states: 
"near  to  ]n  I.  Kinyons  house  along  between  the  lands  of 
Abiel  Sherman  &  Saml  Helmes  northward  up  to  Joseph 
Cases  north  east  corner  and  from  thence  westward  between 
Sd  Cases  Land  &  Robert  Hannah  Land  &  so  along  to 
Chepucket  River  between  the  newles  (Knowles)  Land  and 
the  Land  now  in  the  possession  of  Robert  Potter    .    .    ." 
^  This  road  still  remains  the  same  today.   From  Watson's 
Corners  northward  to  Rose  Hill,  then  to  the  westward. to 
Kingston  Hill  and  through  the  village  of  Kingston  to  the 
Chepuxet  Ri\er.    The  difference  in  the  names  of  Case  and 
Bull  m  the  two  depositions,  as  owners  of  the  land  to  the 
westward  of  the  road,  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  heirs 
of  Jn-eh  Bull  sold  a  portion  of  their  land  to  Joseph  Case 
HI  1693.    In  other  words  it  was  Bull's  land  when  the  road 
was  laid  out,  but  Case's  land  when  the  deposition  was 
made.    This  situation  frequently  arises  in  the  description 
of  highways  and  in  the  bounds  of  lands,  with  confusing 
results  to  the  unwarv  searcher. 


^ 


AXCIKXT    ROADS    IX    THE    I'ETlAijU.V  MSCL'TT    PURfHASE  115 

The  Other  road  leading  northerly  from  the  "Broad 
Road"  was  that  which  is  now  a  portion  of  the  road  which 
leads  in  a  northerly  direction  from  the  Post  Road,  some 
distance  Southwest  from  Sugar  Loaf  Hill  in  Wakeheld, 
through  Curtis  Corners,  to  Kingston  \'illage,  and  is  now 
known  as  the  "Oki  South  Road."  However,  the  only 
portion  of  this  road  mentioned  by  the  Gardner's  is  that 
from  Curtis  Corners  to  Kingston  Milage.  Benoni  Gardner 
describes  it  as  "another  highway  Runing  from  aforesd  fort\' 
Rode  Highway  Extending  Northward  bet\\'een  the  Land. 
of  Saml  Tefft  and  Land  belonging  to  Rowse  Helme  Esqr. 
So  Extending  Northward  l^ntill  it  Metts  with  the  Last 
highway'  before  recited  b\'  \Vm  Knowles  .  .  ."  ( the 
main  road  through  Kingston  \'illage).  Henry  Gardner 
describes  it  from  the  opposite  direction;  "another  high- 
way Leading  from  the  Sd  highway  that  Runs  Between 
said  Knowles  &  Robert  Potters  Land  Southward  to  the 
Eastwarci  of  Wm,  Knowles  &  Saml  Teffts  Land  adjoin- 
ing to  Sd  Land  as  far  as  Robert  Hazards  Survey  Run." 

Li  the  \ear  17('3,  this  road  was  again  laid  out'  by  the 
town,  it  being  a  portion  of  the  highway  from  the  "town  of 
Westerly  bounds,"  which  is  the  present  bound  of  Charles- 
town,  to  the  "bounds  between  our  town  and  East  Cireen- 
wich."  This  highway  was  what  is  now  the  Post  Road  from 
the  Charlestown  line  as  far  as  the  first  road  South  of  Sugar 
Loaf  Hill,  here  it  turns  westward  into  the  Old  South  Road 
to  Kingston,  through  the  village  and  north  along  the  pres- 
ent North  Road,  so-called,  then  east  and  north  and  again 
east  by  the  spot  where  the  old  Narragansett  Church  stood, 
then  northward  down  Ridge  Hill  through  AUentown,  b\' 
DeviPs  Foot  to  "John  North's  fourd,"  now  Hunt's  Ri\er, 
bound  of  the  town  of  East  Greenwich. 


"This  report  is  printed  in  full  in  the  Ejr!\  Hisforx  of  Narragtuisett, 
pp.  223-22S. 


^: 


^ 


St,* 


t^ 


ANCIENT    ROADS    IN    THE    PKTTAOr  AM  SCUTT    PURCHASE  117 

In  the  same  record,  mention  is  made  of  the  road  by 
Sugar  Loaf,  through  the  town  of  Wakefield,  as  it  now  is, 
and  up  Tower  Hill,  to  "a  ten  rod  highway,  formerly  laid 
out  by  the  purchasers  at  the  head  of  the  lotts  upon  Pitticom- 
cott  Hill."    This  portion  is  shown  on  the  Helme  Plat. 

But  in  returning  to  the  depositions  of  the  Gardners^  one 
further  road  should  be  mentioned.  It  commenced  at  the 
MacSparran  Hill,  nearly  opposite  Hannah  Robinson  Rock, 
and  ran  westerly  to  Mooresheld  and  from  there  north- 
erly and  westerly,  to  the  junction  of  the  present  North 
Road  from  Kingston  \'illage,  along  the  South  Kings- 
ton town  line  to  the  Chepuxet  River.  Henry  Gardner 
describes  it  as  "another  Highway  .  .  .  Leading  between 
ye  Land  of  John  Watson  the  Land  of  Wm.  Gardiners 
Westward  along  between  the  Land  of  Benony  Gardner  & 
others  &  along  by  Robert  Hazards  Land  .  .  .  Westward 
to  Chepuchet  River  .  .  ."  Benoni  Gardner's  description 
is  similar  except  mentioning  that  it  passed  by  "the  Depo- 
nents Land". 

There  is  one  road  that  is  not  mentioned  in  the  depositions 
of  the  Gardiners  nor  in  the  report  of  1  704.  This  is  the 
bit  of  road  from  Rose  Hill,  at  the  point  where  the  road 
from  Watson's  Corners  "turn  Westward  by  sd  Bulls,"  to 
the  Saugatucket  at  Mooresheld.  This  was  probably  a 
driftway  at  hrst,  cut  through  the  woods  as  a  short  cut  to 
join  the  road  to  Pettaquamscutt  Hill.  Such  driftways, 
originally  made  to  afford  access  to  small  tracts  of  land  off 
the  main  highways,  often  were  later  laid  out  and  accepted. 
Many  of  the  old  lots  can  even  now  be  placed  h\  these  old 
and  little  used  roads. 


118  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Roger  Williams  and  the  English  Revolution 
of  16+8  (Cont'd) 

Bx  James  Ernst 

In  my  article  on  "Roger  Williams  and  the  English 
Revolution,"  R.  I.  H.  S.  C.,  \o\.  XXIV,  No.  1,  January, 
1931,  I  presented  references  to  Roger  Williams,  his  pam- 
phlets and  his  religious  and  political  ideas,  discovered  in 
the  Thomason  Collection  of  Commonwealth  pamphlets  in 
the  British  Xluseum.  I  have  some  additional  references 
which  may  be  of  help  in  making  clearer  his  relationships  in 
the  New  England  colonies  and  aid  in  estimating  the  influ- 
ence of  Mr.  Williams  and  his  writings  in  bringing  on  the 
English  Revolution  of  16-1-8. 

The  material  of  this  article  is  presenteci  with  the  hope 
of  supplementing  and  enforcing  the  statements  and  con- 
clusions of  my  article  of  Januar\',  1931,  and  for  this  pur- 
pose IS  arranged  in  four  groups:  (  1  )  references  to  Mr. 
Williams,  his  pamphlets  and  ideas;  (  2  )  names  of  probable 
associates  during  his  stay  in  England  from  1651  to  1654; 
(3)  pamphlets  published  to  discredit  his  mission  work 
aniong  the  Indians;  and  (4)  references  to  Mr.  Williams 
and  his  writings  sent  to  me  by  Professor  William  Haller  of 
Barnard  College,  New  York  City. 

T/ie  BIoHciy  Teuent  of  Perseciit'ioii  for  the  Cause  of 
Conscience  by  Roger  Williams  appeared  in  London,  July 
15,  1644.  Parliament  by  the  advice  of  the  Assembly  of 
Divines  ordered  on  August  9  that  The  Bloudx  Teiiefit  be 
burned  bv  the  public  hangman.  (See  R.  I.  H.  S.  C,  \'ol. 
XXI\',  January,  1931,  pp.  9-12.)  In  his  Antapologla 
Rev.  Thomas  Edwards,  one  of  the  leading  Scottish  divines, 
on  July    13,    1644,  quoted  on  page  49,  Master  Cotton^ s 


ROGKR    WILLIAMS    AND    J  Hi:    EXCLISH     RiaOLUTlOX  119 

Letter  Examined  by  Roger  Williams,  and  on  page  289 
referred  to  Cotton's  "Letter  to  Roger  Williams."  He 
further  remarked  on  page  165  that  Parliament  might  with 
profit  take  over  the  New  England  method  of  persecution 
against  the  Sectaries,  referring  to  the  persecutions  as  if 
they  were  commonly  known  in  England;  that  Parliament 
might 

"Justly  have  dealt  with  \ou,  as  the  Magistrates  in  New 
England  did  with  Mr.  Williams  and  the  Antinomians, 
Faniilists  and  Anabaptists  there,  and  yet  have  said  they 
punished  you  not  for  your  consciences,  nor  because  of  such 
opinions  but  because  your  opinions,  ways  and  practices 
were  an  occasion  of  much  hurt  to  the  commonw^ealth,  a 
breach  of  civil  peace." 

In  September,  1644,  William  Prynne  of  Lincoln's  Inn, 
Esq.,  in  Twelve  Considerable  Serious  Questions  touching 
Church  Government  (E-257.  Br.  Mus.)  asked  the  Inde- 
pendents, and  especially  Roger  W^illiams  and  Goodwin, 
Nye,  Simpson,  etc.: 

"Whether  that  independent  government  which  some 
contend  for,  if  positively  and  fully  agreed  on,  and  laid 
down  without  disguises,  and  then  freely  pondered  in  the 
balance  of  scripture  or  right  reason,  be  not  of  its  own  nature 
a  very  seminary  of  schism  and  dangerous  divisions  in 
Church,  and  State?  A  bloudy  plea  to  let  in  an  inundation  of 
all  manner  of  heresies,  errors,  sects,  religions,  destructive 
opinions,  Libertinism  and  lawlessness  among  us,  w^ithout 
any  sufficient  means  of  preventing  or  suppressing  them 
when  introduced?  Whether  the  final  result  of  it  (  as  Master 
Williams  in  his  late  dangerous,  Licentious  Book  [  Marginal 
note  has  A  Bloudy  Tenent\  determines)  will  not  really 
resolve  it  self  into  this  detestable  conclusion:  That  every 
man,  whether  he  be  Jew,  Turk,  Pagan,  Papist,  Arminian, 
Anabaptist,  etc.,  ought  to  be  left  to  his  own  free  liberty  of 
conscience,  without  any  coercion  or  restraint,  to  embrace 
and  publicly  to  profess  what  religion,  opinion,  church, 
government,    he   pleaseth,   and   conceiveth    to   be   truest. 


120  RHODE  ISLAXD  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

thought  never  so  erronious,  false,  seditious,  detestable  in 
itself:" 

"And  whether  such  a  government  as  this  ought  to  be 
embraced,  much  less  established  among  us  ( the  sad  effects 
whereof  we  have  already  experimentally  felt,  by  the  late 
dangerous  increase  of  many  Anabaptistical,  Antinomian, 
Heretical,  Atheisticall  opinions  etc.  .  .  lately  breached, 
preached  and  printed  ...  r " 

That  same  month  Mr.  Prynne  published  a  defense  of  the 
National  Church  in  the  Independency  Examined  (E-257) 
calling  the  Independent  ideas,  "Some  Independent  new- 
minted  objections."  He  hoped  to  convince,  and  reconcile 
them  to  the  State-Church,  claiming  that  in  their  "new  form 
of  government"  the  "Independents  have  not  yet  discovered 
to  the  world  the  full  truth  of  what  they  assert."  Adam 
Stewart  in  To  M.  S.  Alias  Two  Brethren,  October  3,  1644, 
(  E-20  )  and  an  anonymous  writer  in  Faces  A  bout ,  October 
21,  (E-13),  take  the  Independents  severely  to  task  for 
their  dangerous  opinions  which  they  find  so  confusing  and 
can  not  clearly  distinguish  from  the  Puritans  of  the  more 
conservative  groups. 

After  the  burning  of  The  Bloudy  Tenent  by  order  of 
Parliament,  the  principles  of  toleration,  full  liberty  of 
conscience,  and  rights  of  the  individual  were  being  discussed 
with  ever  more  vehemence  and  bitterness.  The  "Well- 
wishers  to  Man"  rose  to  a  vigorous  defence  of  the  liberty  of 
"heresies,  blasphemies  and  sedition."  Defenders  of  the 
principles  so  forcibly  proclaimed  by  Mr.  Williams  came 
forward  with  a  noble  courage.  Most  of  them  prudently 
avoided  a  direct  mention  of  W^illiams,  even  though  they 
borrowed  copiously  and  paraphrased  freely  from  his  writ- 
ings. Among  these  writers  were  John  Goodwin  in  M.  S.  to 
A.S.,  May  3,  (E-45)  ;  Theomachia,  September  2,  (  E-12) ; 
John  the  Baptist  .  .  .  or,  A  Necessity  of  Liberty  of  Con- 
science, September  23,  (E-12)5  Innocencies  Triumph, 
October  26fE-14);  Henry  Burton  in  A  Vindication  of 
Churches   Commonly    Called   Independents,    November, 


kOGER    WILLIAMS    AND    THK    ENGLISH    REVOLUTION  121 

(E- 1  7 )  j  and  Hez.  Woodward  in  Inquiries  into  Our  Miser- 
ies, December,  (E-22).  In  ./  Reply  of  the  Tzvo  Brethren 
to  A.  S.y  presumably  by  Philip  Nye  and  Sidrach  Simpson, 
the  authors  came  forward  in  defense  of  their  associate 
Roger  Williams.  John  Saltmarsh  in  Dcizvnin^s  of  Light, 
January  4,  1645,  (E-1 168(3),  under  the  section  discussing 
"Liberty  Improved"  presented  Twelve  points  many  of 
which  appear  in  the  phraseology  of  The  Bloudy  Tenent. 
A  Short  Anszver  to  A.  S.,  the  second  part  of  Duply, 
February  1645  (E-271),  page  30,  has  a  reference  to  The 
Bloudy  Tenent. 

In  Certain  Brief  Observations  and  Antiqueries  on  Master 
Prin's  Tzvelve  Questions,  October  4,  (E-10),  "A  Well- 
wisher"  has  a  marginal  note  on  Roger  Williams,  page  5, 
dealing  with  Prynne's  third  query:  "In  this  querie  he 
quotes  a  saying  in  a  Booke  called  The  Bloudy  Tenent  which 
was  written  by  one  as  contrary  to  this  as  the  Indep^endents 
as  he  is  to  the  Presbyterians  and  they  utterly  disavow  the 
Booke."  Henry  Burton  gave  an  Anszver  to  Mr.  WilUain 
Prynne^s  Tzxelve  Questions,  November,  (  E-I15  ),  and  as 
friend  of  Roger  Williams  and  Sir  Henry  Vane  came  out  in 
defense  of  full  liberty  of  conscience:  "I  know  the  permitting 
of  so  many  different  opinions  in  a  country  is  usually  objected 
to  as  a  Bug-bear  of  all  confusion  and  a  disturber  in  the 
Civil  State  .  .  .  Why  should  it  breed  greater  confusion  or 
decompose  the  civil  peace  of  England  by  permitting  an 
English  Lutheran,  Brownist,  Antinomian,  Anabaptist,  Jew, 
Turk  or  others,  more  than  if  they  were  of  another  nation:" 
He  continued,  "I  find  no  national  church  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment but  several  Independent  ones."  The  ideas  of  the  eight 
queries  on  pages  24-25  were  most  fully  expressed  for  first 
time  in  The  Bloudy  Tenent  on  July  1  5. 

On  October  19,  1644,  Mr.  Prynne  made  .1  Full  Reply, 
fE-257),  to  the  Independents  and  Sectarians  giving  a 
survey  of  the  grounds  of  the  controversy  since  the  appear- 
ance of  The  Apologetical  Narration  by  the  Five  Brethren 
early  in  1644  and  including  A  Reply  of  the  Tzco  Brethren 


122  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

to  A.  S.  He  severely  condemned  the  ideas  of  full  liberty  of 
conscience  and  separation  of  church  and  state,  and  fully 
agreed  with  the  church  and  state  policy  of  New  England 
for  "excommunicating  and  banishing  those  who  will  not 
submit  unto  it." 

In  December  there  appeared  two  pamphlets  making 
references  to  7V/<?  Bloudy  Tenent.  Charles  Blackwood  in 
the  Storming  of  Antichrist^  December  28,  (E-22(15), 
page  1 6,  referred  to  the  "Bloudy  Tenent  of  Truth"  quoting 
from  it  in  defense  of  absolute  liberty  of  conscience.  And 
George  Gillespie  in  W holesonie  Severity  Reconciled  zvith 
Christian  Liberty^  December  16,  (E-24),  with  "the  chief 
arguments  and  exceptions  used  in  the  Bloudy  Tenent  .  .  . 
examined,"  discussed  the  leading  pamphlets  that  appeared 
in  1644  in  defense  of  coniplete  liberty  of  conscience  and 
separation  of  church  and  state.  A  few  quotations  from  his 
pamphlet  indicates  the  position  he  gave  to  the  Bloudy 
Tenent : 

"I  find  no  material  arguments  in  him  for  liberty  of 
conscience,  but  what  I  found  in  the  Bloudy  Tenent,  the 
Compassionate  Samaritan  and  M.  S.  to  A.  S." 

In  the  Preface  he  said:  "So  liberty  of  conscience  is  a 
sweet  and  taking  word  among  the  less  discernnig  sort  of 
godly  people  newly  come  out  of  the  house  of  bondage,  out 
of  the  popish  and  Prelatical  typranny  5  I  say  the  less  discern- 
ing sort,  because  those  of  the  godly  who  have  their  senses 
exercised  to  discern  good  and  evil  know  that  liberty  of 
heresie  and  schism  is  not  part  of  liberty  of  conscience."  On 
page  2,  appears  this  objection:  "that  the  magistrate  ought 
not  to  inflict  any  punishment  nor  put  forth  any  coercive 
power  upon  heretics  or  sectaries  but  on  the  contrary  grant 
them  liberty  and  toleration  .  .  .  the  very  same  is  maintained 
in  some  books  printed  ...  in  this  year  of  conclusion,  viz: 
The  Bloudy  Tenent 5  Liberty  of  Conscience;  The  Com- 
passionate Samaritan;  John  the  Baptist;  and  Mr.  Good- 
win in  his  Theomachia,  p.  50,  and  in  his  Innocencies 
Triumph,  p.  8."  On  page  12  appears  this  statement:  "The 


ROGER    Wir.I.IAMS    AND     IHl-:    ENGLISH    REVOLUTIOX  123 

most  arrant  maglignant  answer  in  the  words  of  Mr.  Wil- 
liams, Chap.  1  ()9-"Ci\il  power  or  State  of  Israel  was  merely 
hfi-urativ'e"  in  the  Old  Testament.  Mr.  Williams  and  the 
Bloudy  Tenent  are  mentioned  on  pages  13,  15,  16,  17,  and 
30^  and  on  page  18,  is  this  significant  quotation:  "Christ's 
ordinances  put  upon  a  whole  city  or  a  nation  may  more 
civilize  and  moralize,  but  never  Christianize  them:  says 
Mr.  Williams,  Chap.  82." 

The  attitude  of  Gillespie  and  those  other  pamphleteers 
who  opposed  and  condemned  the  Independents  and  Sec- 
taries and  defended  Parliament  and  xA.ssembly  of  Divines  is 
perhaps  most  clearly  expressed  in  these  word  from  George 
Gillespie:  complete  liberty  of  conscience  and  the  doctrines 
of  the  sectaries  is  a  "pernicious,  God-provoking,  Truth- 
defacing,  church  ruinating,  etc.,  state-shaking  toleration. 
The  plain  English  of  the  question  is.  Whether  the  Chris- 
tian magistrate  be  keeper  of  both  Tables:" 

In  order  fully  to  appreciate  the  influence  of  Roger 
Williams  in  England  it  is  necessary  to  have  a  more  precise 
knowledge  of  his  acquaintances  and  associates  and  friends. 
In  1671  Roger  Williams  wrote  to  John  Cotton  Jr.,  about 
an  incident  which  took  place  during  his  second  visit  to 
England  1651-1654:  "That  excellent  servant  of  God,  Mr. 
John  Owen,  ( called  Dr.  Owen  )  told  me  before  the  General, 
who  sent  for  me  about  that  very  business,"  explained  Mr. 
Williams  about  the  discussion  they  had  of  the  Bloudy 
Tenet  Washed  White  by  John  Cotton  in  164-7,"  that 
before  I  landed  himself  and  many  others  had  answered  Mr. 
Cotton's  book  already." 

Christopher  Feake  and  Mr.  Greenhill  are  known  to 
have  been  closely  associated  with  Mr.  Williams  during  both 
his  visits  to  England.  In  Dissatisfaction  Satisfied y  Decem- 
ber 22,  1653,  (E-725)  pages  17-18,  John  Goodwin  pre- 
sents a  list  of  men  who  most  probably  were  associates  of 
Williams  on  his  second  visit;  he  states  that  "Mr.  John 
Simpson,  Mr.  William  Greenhill,  Mr.  Thomas  Brooks, 


124  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Mr.  Hanserd  Knollys,  Mr.  T.  Harrison,  Mr.  Christopher 
Feake,  Mr.  Richard  Wallaston,  Mr.  Henry  Jesse  with 
several  others  ...  in  November,  1651"  subscribed  to  the 
principles  of  people's  sovereignty  and  separation  of  church 
and  state.  Roger  Williams  arrived  in  London  about  Christ- 
mas time  1651,  and  we  know  that  he  at  once  became  a 
member  of  the  republican  groups  of  London. 

The  ministers  and  magistrates  of  the  United  Colonies 
in  New  England  soon  discovered  that  their  "Sunshine" 
pamphlets  on  Indian  conversions  were  not  sufficient  to 
eradicate  the  belief  in  England  that  they  were  not  prose- 
cuting their  mission  work  with  enough  zeal.  Consequently 
they  published  several  more  pamphlets  on  Indian  missions 
for  the  English  reading  public.  These  pamphlets  had  a 
three-fold  aim:  to  praise  their  own  mission  work  among 
the  Indians;  to  prove  the  statements  of  Mr.  Williams  in 
1643-1644  false  and  slanderous  in  English  eyesj  and  to 
discredit  the  mission  work  of  Roger  Williams  and  his 
fellow-colonists  on  the  Narragansett  Bay.  The  pamphlets 
created  a  double  falsehood,  by  giving  a  distorted  view  of 
their  own  mission  work  and  by  making  untrue  statements 
about  Williams  and  his  fellow-colonists. 

Three  pamphlets  published  under  the  auspices  of  the 
"Corporation  for  Propagating  the  Gospel  in  New  Eng- 
land, Coopers  Hall,  London"  and  edited  by  Rev.  Henry 
Whitfield,  late  of  New  England,  are  of  interest  in  this 
sinister  and  rather  unChristlike  purpose  of  the  New 
England  clergy:  Tlie  Light  Appearing  More  and  More 
tozvards  a  Perfect  Day,  February,  1651  (  E-624)  ;  Strength 
out  of  Weakness,  August  4,  1652  (E-673);  and  Tear 
of  Repentance y  May  21,  1653  (E-697).  The  only  part  of 
the  pamphlets  of  interest  here  is  that  which  strives  to 
propagate  a  false  view  of  the  Indian  mission  work  of  the 
settlers  on  the  Narragansett  Bay.  In  the  first  pamphlet 
appears  this  statement  by  Eliot  on  page  23:  "I  advised 
with  Mr.  Cotton  and  others    .    .    .   and  this  I  propounded 


ROGER    WILLIAMS    AXD   THE    ENGLISH    REVOLUTION  125 

.  .  .  they  shall  he  wholly  governed  by  the  Scriptures  in  all 
things  both  in  Church  and  State 3  they  shall  have  no  other 
law-giver."  In  the  second  pamphlet,  we  are  informed  that 
the  covenant  prepared  for  the  Indians  began:  "We  are  the 
sons  of  Adam  3  we  and  our  forefathers  have  a  long  time 
been  lost  in  our  sins."  When  Williams  and  others  in  Rhode 
Island  disagreed  with  this  method  of  Indian  conversion, 
they  fell  under  the  curse  of  the  United  Colonies. 

The  Narragansett  sachems  did  not  receive  Rev.  Eliot 
and  other  missionaries  "well,"  but  some  of  the  subject 
Indians  did,  "expressing  likewise  that  they  did  not  expect 
their  sachems  would  pray  to  God  because  they  were  so 
proud."  Eliot  then  condemned  Gorton's  company  for  being 
an  evil  influence  among  the  Indians,  preventing  their  con- 
version. Rev.  William  Leverich  of  Plymouth  makes  this 
implied  reference  to  Williams  and  his  colony  about  "w^hat 
singular  conflicts  I  have  met  w^ithall  in  my  travels  amongst 
our  own  countrymen,  divers  of  them  are  transported  with 
their  (though  not  singular)  fancies,  to  the  rejecting  of  all 
churches  and  ordinances  by  a  new  cunning  and  .  .  .  the 
last  but  most  pernicious  plot  of  the  Devil  to  undermine  all 
religion  and  introduce  all  Atheism  and  profaneness,  if  it 
w^ere  possible,  together  with  which,  I  have  observed  a 
spirit  of  Pharisaism  and  formality  too,  too  evidently  creep- 
ing upon  it."  Although  this  is  supposed  to  be  an  article  on 
Indian  missions,  its  purpose  needs  no  explanation. 

Thomas  Allen,  formerly  of  New  England,  gives  as  his 
testimony:  "It  seems  that  some  of  late  have  been  so  impu- 
dently bold  ( which  I  cannot  sufiiciently  w^onder  at )  as  to 
report  and  publickly  afiirm  that  there  was  no  such  thing  as 
preaching  and  dispensing  of  the  Gospel  among  the  natives 
of  New  England  .  .  .  That  there  is  such  a  WH)rk  in  hand 
in  New  England  .  .  .  all  the  magistrates  and  ministers 
and  people  in  that  place  (Who  know^  anvthing)  will  be 
ready  to  attest"  (See  R.  I.  H.  S.  C.  Vol.  XXIV,  No.  1, 
pp.  -ioff,  and  -1-9-54).  Among  the  other  persons  who  gave 
their  testimony  in  praise  of  Rev.  John  Eliot  and  against 


126  RHODE   ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

Roger  Williams  are  Rev.  John  Eliot,  John  Enciicott,  John 
Wilson,  who  mentions  Eliot  1  7  times  in  5  pages,  Anthony 
Bessey,  Thomas  Mayhew,  and  William  French. 

Roger  Williams,  who  was  then  in  England,  read  these 
pamphlets  when  they  came  off  the  press.  Cromwell,  Bail- 
lie,  Edwards,  Thoroughgood  and  many  others  made  it 
their  special  duty  to  confer  with  Mr.  Williams  about  these 
pamphlets,  and  the  Indian  mission  work.  Of  this  he  gives  a 
hint  in  his  letters.  In  1654,  soon  after  his  return  to  Provi- 
dence, Williams  had  occasion  to  intercede  for  the  Indians 
and  pre\'ent  a  threatening  Indian  slaughter.  He  wrote  to 
the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts:  "We  have  in  these 
parts  a  sound  of  your  meditating  of  a  war  against  these 
natives  ...  At  m\'  last  departure  for  England  I  was 
importuned  by  the  Narragansett  sachems,  and  especially 
by  Ninigret,  to  present  their  petition  to  the  high  sachems 
of  England,  that  they  might  not  be  forced  from  their  reli- 
gion^ and  for  not  changing  their  religion  be  invaded  by 
war;  for  they  said  they  were  daily  visited  by  Indians  that 
came  from  about  the  Massachusetts  that  if  they  would  not 
pray  they  should  be  destroyed  by  war.  With  these  peti- 
tions I  acquainted,  in  private  discourses,  divers  of  the  chiefs 
of  our  nation,  and  especially  his  Highness,  who,  in  many 
discourses  I  had  with  him,  never  expressed  the  least  tittle 
of  displeasure,  as  hath  been  reported  .  .  .  and  after  hear- 
ing of  yourselves  and  us,  it  hath  pleased  his  Highness  and 
Council  to  grant  amongst  other  favors  to  this  colony,  some 
expressly  concerning  the  very  Indians,  the  native  inhabi- 
tants of  this  jurisdiction." 

"I  pray  it  may  be  remembered  .  .  .  how  all  England 
and  other  nations  ring  with  the  glorious  conversion  of  the 
Indians  of  New  England.  You  know  how  many  books  are 
dispersed  throughout  the  nation  on  the  subject  ( in  some  of 
them  the  Narragansett  chief  sachems  are  publicly  branded 
for  refusing  to  pray  and  be  converted  )  ...  all  the  pulpits 
in  England  have  been  commanded  to  sound  of  this  glori- 
ous work  ( I  speaks  not  ironically,  but  only  mention  what 


K(M;1-;K    WILLIAMS    AM)    THK    KXCLISH     RK\'()LLTI()X  127 

all  the  printed  books  mention),  and  that  by  the  highest 
command  and  authorit\'  of  Parliament,  the  church  wardens 
went  from  house  to  house  to  gather  supplies  for  this 
work."  But  unfortunately  Roger  Williams  was  to  find 
upon  his  return  not  a  glorious  con\'ersion,  but  instead  the 
four  L'^niteci  Colonies  meditating  an  Indian  war. 

Professor  William  Haller  of  Barnard  College,  New 
York  Cit\',  recenth'  sent  me  a  list  of  paniphlets  containing 
references  to  77.v  Bloudy  Tenent^  with  permission  to 
record  them  in  the  R.  I.  H.  S.  Collections.  Most  of  the 
works  on  the  list  sent  by  Professor  Haller  are  in  the  McAl- 
pin  Collection  of  I'nion  Seminar}'.  I  shall  recorci  his  mate- 
rial as  he  sent  it  to  me.  Six  of  the  pamplets  were  published 
in  1644:  Herbert  Palmer,  Glass  of  GotPs  Providence, 
13  August.  ''Some  bookes  .  .  .  plead  for  Poper\',  Judaisme, 
Turcisme,  Paganisme,  and  all  manner  of  false  Religions." 
Thomas  Hill,  Sedson  for  EnglcDnPs  Deepe-  Refection, 
13  Aug.,  "opening  a  doore  .  .  .  even  for  Jewes,  Turkes, 
anci  any  whomsoe\'er";  the  marginal  note  says  "See 
Blooci}'  Tenent."  Anon,  (  probabh"  b\'  someone  in  John 
Goodwin's  crowd,  but  neither  Goodwin  nor  Henr\'  Robin- 
son)  Certain  brief e  (jbservations^  4  Oct.,  see  p.  5:  Mar- 
gin— "a  Booke  calleci  the  Bloudy  Tenefit.^^  The  Independ- 
ent disavows  Williams.  (  George  Gillespie.  See  McAlpin 
Catalogue  )  A  Late  Dialogue,  30  Oct.,  cites  Bloudy  Ten- 
ent — Co})ipassio>nite  Saniaritane,  John  the  Baptist ,  TJieo- 
}}iac1ua.{  Henry  Robinson  ).\ns\j:er  to  M/-.  William  Prynn, 
1  Nov.,  on  page  27  recommends  B.  T. — Comp.  Sam. — J. 
the  B.  And  Charles  Blackwood,  Stor/ning  of  .h/tichrist, 
28  Dec,  cites  B.  T.,  M.  S.  to  A.  S.  and  Theouiachia. 

Five  other  pamphlets  containing  references  to  Mr.  Wil- 
liams were  published  in  1645:  George  Gillespie,  11  hole- 
some  Se-veritx  Recon'iledy  8  Jan.,  Bloudy  'Penoit  is  men- 
tioned in  title  and  repeated  at  length  in  text.  (  Henr\'  Rob- 
inson)  Short  A)isi:er  to  A.  S.  (Adam  Stewart  i  3  b'eb., 
refers  to  Bloudy  Pe>ie)it  on  page  3(1.  F.phraim  Pagitt,  I ler- 


V 


128  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

esiographyy  8  May,  refers  to  the  Bloiidy  Tenent  and  also 
to  Milton.  (Richard  Overton)  Sacred  Decretal  I,  31  May, 
refers  to  the  Bloudy  Tenent  in  the  opening  pages.  Richard 
Baillie,  Errours  arid  Indurations^  30  July,  uses  the  phrase 
about  Turks,  Jews,  etc.  And  Thomas  Edwards,  Casting 
Doiim^  28  July,  1647,  has  frequent  references  to  the 
Bloudy  Tenent.  (Professor  Haller  has  identified  Answer 
to  Mr.  William  Prynn  and  Short  Answer  to  A.  S.  as  the 
works  of  Henry  Robinson.) 

No  definitive  conclusions  on  the  influence  of  Roger  Wil- 
liams and  his  pamphlets  in  the  English  Civil  War  and 
Revolution  of  1 648  can  as  yet  be  drawn  from  the  materials 
presented  in  this  article  and  that  of  R.  I.  H.  S.  C,  Vol. 
XXIV,  January,  1931.  A  great  deal  of  research  in  the 
Commonwealth  pamphlet  collections  of  Union  Seminary, 
Yale,  Oxford  and  Cambridge  Universities  and  the  British 
Museum  is  still  to  be  done  before  this  question  can  be 
finally  decided.  Nevertheless,  the  conclusion  of  Professor 
Dunning  may  be  tentatively  accepted,  that  T/ie  Bloudy 
Tenent  "derived  its  principles  and  its  form  from  his  Amer- 
ican experience"  and  "expressed  essentially  the  resolution 
of  a  body  of  religious  sectaries,  .  .  '.  and  the  fuller  implica- 
tions of  the  theory  which  the  work  embodied  were  revealed 
in  the  political  revolution  which  was  effected  in  1647-1648 
by  the  Army." 

Among  the  State  Papers  of  the  Public  Record  Ofiice, 
London,  Admiralty  Commission  18,  Vol.  115,  No.  132, 
appears  a  letter  from  Capt.  Joseph  Ames,  Winsley,  Spit- 
head.  The  letter  was  sent  to  his  Highness,  Lord  Protector 
Cromwell,  from  Falmouth,  on  October  10,  1655.  Capt. 
Ames  arrived  the  day  before  with  twelve  sails  of  New- 
foundlanders and  awaits  orders.  The  letter  to  his  High- 
ness was  accompanied  "with  a  young  deer  that  came  from 
Mr.  Williams,  President  in  Providence  Plantations  in 
New-England." 


129 


New  Publications  of  Rhode  Island  Interest 

The  Narrative  of  American  Voyages  of  Captain  William 
Owen,  R.  N.,  which  is  printed  in  the  March,  1931,  issue 
of  the  Bulletin  of  the  Neve  York  Public  Library,  contains 
ten  pages  relating  to  his  visit  to  Rhode  Island  in  August, 
1767.  Among  other  comments  he  wrote:  "The  private 
people  are  cunning,  deceitful  and  selfish"  .  .  ,  ,  "Their 
Magistrates  are  partial  and  corrupt  j  and  it  is  folly  to 
expect  justice  in  their  Courts  of  Judicature"  .  .  .  ,  and 
"Rhode  Island  used  to  be  celebrated  for  the  beauty  of  its 
women  ..." 

Margaret  Fuller,  by  Margaret  Bell,  with  an  introduc- 
tion by  Mrs.  Franklin  D.  Roosevelt,  is  a  volume  of  320 
pages  recently  issued  by  Charles  Boni. 

Antiques  for  April,  1931,  contains  an  article  with  illus- 
trations of  some  Rhode  Island  silver  spoons. 

A  genealogy  of  the  Niles  family  of  Rhode  Island 
appears  in  the  April,  1931,  issue  of  the  New  England  His- 
torical and  Genealogical  Register. 

The  Report  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  for  1929, 
page  286,  contains  an  account  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  in  which 
it  is  related  that  because  the  Rhode  Island  sea  captains  of 
about  1770  were  acquainted  with  the  course  of  the  Gulf 
Stream,  they  were  abJe  to  make  the  westward  trip  across 
the  Atlantic  in  about  two  weeks  less  time  than  the  English 
packets. 

The  Society  has  obtained  from  the  American  Antiquarian 
Society  a  photostat  of  a  rare  poem  by  Jemima  Wilkinson^ 
entitled  "A  Wonderful  Dream." 


^See  R.  I.  H.  S.  C,  vol.  XXIV  p.  60. 


130  RHODE   ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


Bequest 

Mr.  \'ictor  Will3our,  for  many  \ears  a  member  of  the 
Societ\%  died  on  May  17,  1931.  He  left  a  bequest  of 
$20,000,  to  the  Society,  to  be  paid  at  the  death  of  his 
sister,  and  to  be  known  as  the  Charles  and  Sarah  Howe 
Wilbour  Fund,  in  memory  of  his  grandparents. 


Queen's  Fort 

Mr.  Marsden  J.  Perry  has  generously  presented  to  the 
Society  a  tract  of  some  iifty-three  acres  in  North  Kings- 
town and  Exeter,  containing  the  famous  Queen's  Fort, 
which  is  to  be  held  by  the  Societ}'  a>  a  permanent  public 
historic  park. 

Notes 

The  following  persons  ha\'e  been  admitted  to  n^ember- 
ship  in  the  Societ}': 

I\Irs.    foshua   M.   Addcman  Mr.  Ernest  A.  Harris 

Mrs.  Wallace  Campbell  Rev.  Anthony  R.  Parshley 

IVIrs.  Howard  L.  Anthony  Mrs.  Austin  T.  Levy 

Mr.  Emil  G.  Pieper  Hon.  Ernest  L.  Sprague 

Mrs.  William  H.  Hoffman  Mrs.  James  A.  Nealey 

Mrs.  Sarah  Minchin  Barker  Miss  Marv  H.  Parsons 
Mr.  Allan  Forbes 


ONE  OF  F1\F.  Sll.VKR  SPOON?  MARKED  A.  M.  L.,  FOR 
ARNOLD  AND  MARY  LEW  IS  OF  EXE  lER  WHO  WERE 
MARRIED    OCTOF.ER     10,     1S22. 

These  spoons  were  made  out  of  coin  silver  by 
Robert  Reynolds  of  Exeter,  R.  1.,  and  were 
rcccntlv  presented  to  the  Society  by  Miss  Alice 
P'rv  of  Willimantic,  Connecticut. 


132 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Heraldic  Notes 


BOWEN 


Armorial  tombstones  mark  the  graves  of  Jabez  Bowen 
of  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  who  died  in  1 770,  aged  74,  and  of  his 
wife,  Huldah,  who  died  in  1754.  These  stones  are  in  the 
old  Rehoboth  burial  ground,  near  Rumford  in  East  Prov- 
idence. The  arms  are  "A  stag  trippant  pierced  in  the  back 
by  an  arrow,"  with  the  crest  "A  stag's  head  erased."  The 
carving  on  the  stone  in  memory  of  Huldah  is  much  more 
obliterated  by  the  ravages  of  time  than  the  carving  on 
Jabez'  stone. 

Burke  gives  "Azure  a  stag  argent  with  an  arrow  stuck  in 
the  back  and  attired  or"  for  the  Bowens  of  Kittle  Hill  and 
Swansea,  co.  Glamorgan,  but  with  a  different  crest.  Burke 
also  gives  a  variant  coat  "Gules  a  stag  trippant  argent 
pierced  in  the  back  with  an  arrow  and  attired  or"  as  granted 
in  1812  to  the  Bowens  of  Milford,  co.  Mayo.  The  crest  is 
different,  and  the  change  of  the  field  from  azure  to  gules 
was  evidentlv  "for  difference." 


HKRALDIC   NOTES 


133 


The  Jabez  Bowen  of  this  armorial  tombstone  was  born 
in  1696,  the  son  of  Dr.  Richard  Bowen  (±1658-1736), 
son  of  Thomas  Bowen  of  Salem,  son  of  Richard  Bowen  of 
Rehoboth,  who  is  said  to  have  come  from  Swansea,  co. 


Glamorgan. 


JONES 


^ 

1 

V 

^ 

x' 

^ 

William  Jones,  Senr.,  of  Wellington  in  Great  Britain, 
died  on  September  26,  1  739,  aged  59  years,  and  was  buried 
in  what  is  now  East  Providence,  where  his  grave  is  marked 
by  an  armorial  tombstone.  The  arms  are  "A  stag  statant 
impaling  a  quartered  coat,  1  and  4  per  pale,  2  and  3  a 
bend,"  with  the  crest  "A  stag's  head." 

Burke  gives  "Sable  a  buck  passant  argent  attired  or"  for 
the  Jones  of  Esthall,  co.  Oxford,  1634,  descended  from 
the  Jones  of  co.  Flint,  and  "Sable  a  stag  standing  at  gaze 
argent,  attired  and  unguled  or"  for  the  Jones  of  co.  Mon- 
mouth. The  three  crests  differ.  Apparently  "Sable  a  stag 
argent"  was  the  parent  coat  of  one  family  of  Jones  of 
Wales. 


134 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


List  of  Active  Members  of  the  Rhode  Island 

Historical  Society. 

June,  1931. 


Mrs.    Joshua   M.   Addeman 
Mr.  David  C.  Adclmaa 
Mr.  Frederick  W.  Aldred 
Mr.  Charles  T.  Aldrich 
Mr.  Edward  K.  Aldrich,  Jr. 
Miss  Lucy  T.  Aldrich 
Hon.  Richard  S.  Aldrich 
Mr.  Francis  O.  Allen 
Mr.  Frederick  W.  Allen 
Mr.  Philip  Allen 
Miss  Ada  Almy 
Miss  Anna  L.  Andrews 
Mr.  Walter  F.  Angell 
Mrs.  Howard   L.  Anthony 
Mrs.  Everard  Appleton 
Mr.  John  B.  Archer 
Mr.  Arthur  H.  Armington 
Miss  Maude  E.  Armstrong 
Mrs.  Edward  E.  Arnold 
Mr.  Frederick  W.  Arnold 
Miss  Mittie  Arnold 
Mr.  James  H.  Arthur 
Mr.  Donald  S.  Babcock 
Mr.  Albert  A.  Baker 
Mrs.  Charles  K.  Baker 
Mr.  Harvev  A.  Baker 
Mr.  J.  Wil'lard  Baker 
Miss  Marv  H.  Balch 
Mrs.  Walter  S.  Ball 
Mr.  Frederick  D.  Ballou 
Rev.  Clarence  A.  Barbour 
Mrs.  Sarah   Minchin   Barker 
Harry  Lee  Barnes,  M.D. 
Miss  Sarah  Dyer  Barnes 
Miss  Hattie  B.  Barns 
Mr.  Fred  H.  Barrows 
W.  Lincoln  Bates,  M.D. 


Mr.  Earl  G.  Batty 
Mrs.  Daniel  Beckwith 
Mrs.  Herbert  G.  Becde 
Mr.  Horace  G.  Belcher 
Mr.  Horatio  E.  Bellows 
Mr.  Bruce  M.  Bigelow 
Mr.  George  E.  Bixby 
Mr.  Zenas  W.  Bliss  ' 
Mrs.  Edward  W.  Blodgett 
G.  Alder  Blumer,  M.D. 
Mr.  J.  J.  Bodell 
Mrs.  Theodore  P.  Bogert 
Harold  Bowditch,  M.D. 
Mrs.  Charles  Bradlcv 
Mr.  Claude  R.  Branch 
Mr.  John  B.  Branch 
Mrs.' William  C.  H.  Brand 
Miss  Alice  Brayton 
Miss  Elizabeth  H.  Brayton 
Miss  Ida  F.  Bridgham 
Mr.  Herbert  O.  Brigham 
Miss  Eva  St.  C.  Brightman 
Mrs.  Clarence  A.  Brouwer 
Mr.  Clarence  Ir\'ing  Brown 
Mr.  C^TUS  P.  Brown 
Mr.  Frank  Hail  Brown 
Mrs.  Frank  Hail  Brown 
Miss  Isabel  R.  Brown 
Mr.  John  Nicholas  Brown 
Madelaine  R.  Brown,  M.D. 
Mr.  Wilbur  D.  Brown 
Mr.  Alfred  S.  Brownell 
Mr.  Edward  C.  Bucklin 
Mr.  Harris  H.  Bucklin 
Miss  Clara  Buffum 
Mr.  Frederick  H.  Buffum 
Mrs.  William  P.  Buffum 


LIST   OF    MKMBKRS 


135 


Mr.  Henr\-  Bukcr 
Mr.  Edward   |.  C.  Bullock 
Mrs.  Edward"  j.  C.   Bullock 
Mrs.  George  S.  Bullock 
Mr.  George  Rothwcll  Burgess 
Mr.  Edwin  A.  Burlingame 
IVIr.  Ra\mond  Buss 
Mr.  Alfred  T.  Butler 
Miss  Irene  B.  Butler 
Mr.  G.  Edward  Buxton 
Mr.  John  H.  Cady 
Mrs.  Charles  A.  Calder 
Miss  Helen  G.  Calder 
Frank  T.  Calef,  M.D. 
Mr.  Herbert  C.  Calef 
Mr.  Walter  R.  Callender 
Mrs.  Walter  R.  Callender 
Mrs.  Wallace  Campbell 
Mr.  Thomas  B.  Card 
Mrs.  George  W.  Carr 
Mr.  Edward  Carrington 
Mr.  William  Carroll 
Mrs.  Marion  P.  Carter 
Miss  Anna  H.  Chace 
Mr.  Malcolm  G.  Chace 
Mr.  Henry  S.  Chafee 
Mrs.  Everitte  S.  Chaffee 
Prof.  Robert  F.  Chambers 
Mr.  Arthur  D.  Champlin 
Mr.  George  B.  Champlin 
Mr.  George  Allen  Chandler 
Miss  Anna  Chapin 
Charles  W  Chapin,  M.D. 
Mrs.  Charles  \'.  Chapin 
Mr.  Howard  M.  Chapin 
Mrs.  Howard  M.  Chapin 
Mr.  William  P.  Chapin 
Mr.  Frederic  L.  Chase 
Julian  A.  Chase,  M.D. 
Edmund  D.  Chesebro,  M.D. 
Mr.  Albert  W.  Claflin 
Mrs.  Edward  S.  Clark 
Mr.  Prescott  O.  Clarke 
Mr.  l-'ugcne  A.  Clauss 
Prof.  Theodore  Collier 


Mrs.  Clarkson  A.  Collins,  Jr. 

Mr.  James  C.  Collins 

Mr.  Edward  L.  Coman 

Mr.  Jonathan  F.  Comstock 

Mrs.  W.  A.  H.  Comstock 

Mr.  Walter  J.  Comstock 

Mr.  William  P.  Comstock 

Mr.  Charles  D.  Cook 

Mrs.  Charles  D.  Cook 

Mr.  Albert  B.  Coulters 

Mr.  Ernest  S.  Craig 

Prof.  \  erner  W.  Crane 

Mr.  Frank  H.  Cranston 

George  H.  Crooker,  M.D. 

Mr.  Harry  Parsons  Cross 

Frank  Anthony  Cummings,  M.D. 

Mrs.  Frank  Anthony  Cummings 

Prof.  S.  Foster  Damon 

Murray  S.  Danforth,  M.D. 

Mrs.  Murray  S.  Danforth 

Miss  Edith  R.  Danielson 

Mr.  William  C.  Dart 

Mr.  David  Davidson 

Mr.  Foster  B.  Davis 

Miss  Marv  Elliott  Davis 

Mrs.  R.  C.  Davis 

Mr.  Charles  J.  Davol 

Mr.  Herbert  R.  Dean 

Mrs.  Thomas  Hart  deCoudres 

Prof.  Edmund  B.  Delabarre 

Mr.  Paul  C.  DeWolf 

Miss  Alice  S.  Dexter 

Miss  Eunice  W.  Dexter 

Mr.  Henry  C.  Dexter 

Miss  Louise  Diman 

Mr.  Fred  Morton  Dixon,  Jr. 

Mrs.  Harriet  M.  F.  Dixon 

Mr.  Michael  F.  Dooley 

Mr.  liOuis  W.  Downes 

Mrs.  Louis  W.  Downes 

Mr.  Robert  T.  Downs 

Mr.  Charles  L.  Drown 

Mr.  David  Duncan 

Mr.  Henry  A.  Du\"illard 

Miss  Margarethe  L.  Dwight 


136 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Mr.  H.  Anthony  Dyer 
Mr.  William  Allan  Dyer 
Mr.  Charles  G.  Easton 
Mr.  Frederick  W.  Easton 
Mr.  Alfred  U.  Eddy 
Mr.  Cyrus  T.  Eddy 
Miss  Isabel  Eddy 
Mr.  William  Holden  Eddy 
Miss  Harriet  C.  Edmonds 
Miss  Edith  Edwards 
Mr.  Walter  Angell  Edwards 
Mr.  James  Elgar 
Mr.  William  Ely 
Mr.  Frank  W.  Emerson 
Mr.  Robert  S.  Emerson 
Mr.  Ralph  C.  Estes 
Mr.  William  Wood  Estes 
Mrs.  William  Wood  Estes 
Mr.  Walter  F.  Farrell 
Mr.  Henry  A.  Fifield 
Mrs.  Irving  Fisher 
Mr.  Augustus  H.  Fiske 
Mrs.  Charles  Fletcher 
Mr.  Elliot  Flint 
Hon.  William  S.  Flynn 
Mrs.  Lawrence  B.  Fogarty 
Mr.  Allan  Forbes 
Mr.  John  R.  P.  Foster 
Mrs.  George  H.  Fowler 
Mrs.  Austen  G.  Fox 
Mr.  Hovey  T.  Freeman 
Mr.  John  R.  Freeman 
Mr.  Joseph  W.  Freeman 
Hon.  G.  Frederick  Frost 
Mr.  William  Congdon  Fry 
Mr.  Frederick  H.  Fuller 
Mr.  R.  Clinton  Fuller 
Frank  T.  Fulton,  M.D. 
Mme.  Annita  Gaburri 
Hon.  Joseph  H.  Gainer 
Mrs.  Robert  Ives  Gammell 
Mr.  William  Gammell 
Mr.  William  Gammell,  Jr. 
Miss  Abbie  P.  Gardner 
George  W.  Gardner,  M.D. 


Prof.  Henry  B.  Gardner 
Mrs.  John  T.  Gardner 
Mr.  Preston  H.  Gardner 
Mr.  Rathbone  Gardner 
Mr.  Daniel  F.  George 
Mrs.  Louis  C.  Gerry 
Hon.  Peter  G.  Gerry 
Mrs.  Peter  G.  Gerry 
Mrs.  Alice  C.  Gleeson 
Mr.  Robert  H.  I.  Goddard 
Rabbi  Israel  M.  Goldman 
Mr.  George  T.  Gorton 
Mr.  Harry  Hale  Goss 
Mr.  Eugene  S.  Graves 
Mrs.  Eugene  S.  Graves 
Mr.  Theodore  Francis  Green 
Mr.  Edward  Aborn  Greene 
Miss  Esther  F.  Greene 
Mrs.  Joseph  Warren  Greene 
Mr.  Thomas  C.  Greene 
Mr.  Ralph  M.  Greenlaw 
Mr.  William  B.  Greenough 
Mr.  Russell  Grinnell 
Mr.  E.  Tudor  Gross 
Mrs.  Harold  J.  Gross 
Hon.   |.  Jerome  Hahn 
Mr.  John  W.  Haley 
Mr.  Ellery  A.  Hall 
Miss  Annette  M.  Ham 
Mrs.  Livingston  Ham 
Mrs.  Albert  G.  Harkness 
Mr.  Gilbert  A.  Harrington 
Mr.  Benjamin  P.  Harris 
Mr.  Ernest  A.  Harris 
Miss  Mary  A.  Harris 
Mr.  Stephen  C.  Harris 
Mr.  Everett  S.  Hartwell 
N.  Darrell  Harvey,  M.D. 
Mr.  William  A.  Hathaway 
Mr.  Edward  Northup  Hay 
Miss  Caroline  Hazard 
Mr.  Rowland  Hazard 
Mr.  Thomas  G.  Hazard,  Jr. 
Mr.  Charles  F.  Heartman 
Mrs.  W.  E.  Hcathcote 


LIST    OF    MEMBERS 


137 


Mr.  Bcrnon  K.  Hclme 
Mr.  Arthur  Henius 
Mr.  John  Henshaw 
Mr.  Joseph  G.  Henshaw 
Miss  Mary  G.  Henshaw 
Mr.  Robert  W.  Herrick 
Mr.  G.  Burton  Hibhert 
Mr.  William  A.  Hill 
Mr.  Frank  L.  Hinckley 
Mr.  Sumner  W.  Hinds 
Mr.  William  L.  Hodgman 
Mrs.  William  L.  Hodgman 
Mrs.  William  H.  Hoffman 
Mrs.  John  S.  Holbrook 
Mr.  George  J.  Holden 
Mr.  Charles  A.  Horton 
Mr.  E.  Harris  Howard,  Jr. 
Mr.  Frederic  W.  Howe 
Mr.  M.  A.  DeWolfe  Howe 
Mr.  Wallis  E.  Howe 
Mrs.  Richard  G.  Howland 
Mrs.  William  Erwin  Hoy 
Mrs.  George  H.  Huddy,  Jr. 
Mr.  Sidney  D.  Humphrey 
Mr.  Horatio  A.  Hunt 
Mr.  S.  Foster  Hunt 
Mrs.  Duncan  Hunter 
Mr.  George  Hurley 
Mr.  James  H.  Hurley 
Mr.  Richard  A.  Hurley 
Mr.  James  Hazen  Hyde 
Mr.  William  S.  Innis 
Mr.  Norman  M.  Isham 
Mr.  Benjamin  A.  Jackson 
Mrs.  Donald  E.  Jackson 
Mr.  Thomas  A.  Jenckes 
Mr.  George  A.  Jepherson 
Mrs.  Edward  L.  Johnson 
George  F.  Johnson,  M.D, 
Mr.  William  L.  Joyce 
Dr.  Lewis  H.  Kalloch 
Mr.  Francis  B.  Keeney 
Mrs.  Ellsworth  L.  Kelley 
Mr.  Howard  R.  Kent 
Mr.  H.  Earle  Kimball 


Eugene  P.  King,  M.D. 
Mrs.  Eugene  P.  King 
Mr.  Victor  H.  King 
Lucius  C.  Kingman,  M.D. 
Mr.  C.  Prescott  Knight 
Mrs.  C.  Prescott  Knight 
Mr.  C.  Prescott  Knight,  Jr. 
Mrs.  C.  Prescott  Knight,  Jr. 
Mr.  Robert  L.  Knight 
Mrs.  Robert  L.  Knight 
Mr.  Russell  W,  Knight 
Mrs.  Webster  Knight 
Mrs.  Rhea  L.  M.  Knittle 
Prof.  Harry  L.  Koopman 
Mr.  John  Krawczuk 
Mrs.  Henry  S.  Lanpher 
Mrs.  Dana  Laurence 
Mr.  George  R.  Lawton 
Charles  H.  Leonard,  M.D. 
Miss  Grace  F.  Leonard 
Miss  Anna  L.  Lestrade 
Mrs.  Austin  T.  Leyy 
Mr.  George  H.  Lewis 
Mr.  Joseph  W.  Lewis 
Mr.  Ferdinand  A.  Lincoln 
Mrs.  Charles  Warren  Lippitt 
Mr.  Charles  Warren  Lippitt 
Mrs.  Frances  Pomeroy  Lippitt 
Mr.  Gorton  T.  Lippitt 
Hon.  Henry  F.  Lippitt 
Mr.  Arthur  B.  Lisle 
Mrs.  Arthur  B.  Lisle 
Mr.  Alden  L.  Littlefield 
Mr.  Charles  W.  Littlefield 
Mr.  h-ory  Littlefield 
Rey.  Augustus  M.  Lord 
Mr.  Dayid  B.  Loycll,  Jr. 
Mr.  Albert  E.  Lownes 
Mr.  Harold  C.  Lyman 
Mr.  Richard  E.  Lyman 
Mr.  William  A.  McAuslan 
Mrs.  William  A.  McAuslan 
Rey.  Lorenzo  C.  McCarthy 
Mr.  James  R.  MacColl 
Mr.  William  B.  MacColl 


138 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Mr.  Arthur  M.  McCrillis 
Miss  Grace  E.  Macdonald 
Mr.  T.  F.  I.  McDonnell 
Mrs.  T.  F.  I.  McDonnell 
Mr.  Benjamin  M.  MacDougall 
Mr.  Charles  B.  Mackinney 
Mrs.  Herbert  E.  Maine 
Mrs.  William  L.  Manchester 
Mr.  Charles  C.  Marshall 
Mr.  Edgar  W.  Martin 
Mrs.  John  F.  Marvel 
Mr.  Fletcher  S.  Mason 
Mr.  Harold  Mason 
Mr.  John  H.  Mason 
Mrs.  William  B.  Mason 
Mrs.  George  S.  Mathews 
Mr.  Archibald  C.  Matteson 
Mr.  Frank  W.  Matteson 
Mr.  William  L.  Mauran 
Mrs.  William  L.  Mauran 
Mrs.  Frank  Everitt  Maxwell 
Mr.  Harry  V.  Mayo 
Rev.  Charles  A.  Meader 
Mr.  W.  Granville  Meader 
Mrs.  Paul  A.  Merriam 
Mrs.  Charles  H.  Merriman 
Mrs.  E.  Bruce  Merriman 
Mr.  Harold  T.  Merriman 
Mr.  I.  B.  Merriman 
Mrs.  I.  B.  Merriman 
Mrs.  E.  T.  H.  Metcalf 
Mr.  G.  Pierce  Metcalf 
Mr.  Houghton  P.  Metcalf 
Mrs.  I.  Harris  Metcalf 
Hon.  Jesse  H.  Metcalf 
Mrs.  Jesse  H.  Metcalf 
Mr.  Stephen  O.  Metcalf 
Lt.  Col.  Willis  C.  Metcalf 
Mr.  William  Davis  Miller 
Mrs.  William  Davis  Miller 
Mr.  George  L.  Miner 
Hon.  Louis  Monast 
Mr.  G.  A.  Moriarty,  Jr. 
Mrs.  Bentley  W.  Morse 
Mr.  Jarvis  M.  Morse 


Mr.  Edward  S.  Moulton 
Mrs.  Edward  S.  Moulton 
William  M.  Muncy,  M.D. 
Walter  L.  Munro,  M.D. 
Prof.  Wilfred  H.  Munro 
Mr.  Addison  P.  Munroe 
Mrs.  Addison  P.  Munroe 
Mr.  Walter  M.  Murdie 
Mrs.  James  A.  Nealev 
Mr.  Barnes  Newberry 
Mr.  George  P.  Newell 
Mr.  Louis  C.  Newman 
Mrs.  Louis  C.  Newman 
Miss  Eliza  Taft  Newton 
Mr.  Roger  Hale  Newton 
Mr.  Paul  C.  Nicholson 
Mr.  Samuel  M.  Nicholson 
Mr.  Elmer  D.  Nickerson 
Ira  Hart  Noyes,  M.D. 
Miss  Marv  Olcott 
Mrs.  Frank  F.  Olney 
Mr.  Erling  C.  Ostbv 
Mr.  Harald  W.  Ostby 
Mr.  Raymond  E.  Ostby 
Mr.  Harry  C.  Owen 
Mr.  Frederick  A.  Paige 
Rev.  Anthony  R.  Parshlev 
Mr.  G.  Richmond  Parsons 
Mrs.  G.  Richmond  Parsons 
Miss  Mar^-  H.  Parsons 
H.  G.  Partridge,  M.D. 
Mr.  Frederick  S.  Peck 
Mrs.  Frederick  S.  Peck 
Mr.  Stephen  L  Peck 
Mrs.  F.  H.  Peckham 
Kathcrine  F.  Peckham,  M.D. 
Mr.  Augustus  R.  Peirce 
Mr.  Clarence  E.  Peirce 
Mr.  George  E.  Peirce 
Mrs.  George  E.  Peirce 
Mr.  John  P.  B.  Peirce 
Mr.  Thomas  A.  Peirce 
Mr.  Charles  M.  Perry 
Mr.  Howard  B.  Perry 
Rt.  Rev.  James  DeWolf  Perry 


HERALDIC   XOTKS 


139 


Mr.  Marsdcn   |.  Pcrrv 
John  M.  Peters,  M.D. 
Mr.  Albert  N.  Peterson 
Mr.  Arthur  L.  Philbrick 
Mr.  Charles  H.  Philbrick 
Mrs.  Frank  N.  Phillips 
Mrs.  Gilbert  A.  Phijlips 
Mr.  F.mil  G.  Pieper 
Mr.  Byron  A.  Pierce 
Mr.  Thomas  L.  Pierce 
Herman  C.  Pitts,  M.D. 
Mr.  Albert  H.  Poland 
Mrs.  William  H.  Poole 
Lewis  B.  Porter,  M.D. 
Prof.  Albert  K.  Potter 
Dr.  Arthur  M.  Potter 
Mr.  B.  Thomas  Potter 
Mrs.  Dexter  B.  Potter 
Mrs.  T.  I.  Hare  Powel 
Mr.  Howard  W.  Preston 
Mrs.  Howard  W.  Preston 
Mr.  Robert  S.  Preston 
Miss  Kvelvn  M.  Purdv 
Helen  C.  Putnam,  M.D. 
Mr.  Patrick  H.  Quinn 
Mrs.  George  R.  Ramsbottom 
Mr.  Walter  E.  Ranger 
Mrs.  C.  K.  Rathbone 
Hon.  l^lmer  j.  Rathbun 
Mr.  George  H.  Raymond 
Mrs.  Irving  E.  Raymond 
Mrs.  Charles  O.  Read 
Mrs.  Joseph  H.  Regcster 
Mr.  Charles  C.  Remington 
Rhode  Island  State  College 
Mr.  Dana  Rice 
Mr.  Herbert  W.  Rice 
Mr.  John  B.  Richards 
Gen.  John  J.  Richards 
Miss  Louise  Richardson 
Mr.  Hcnrv  Isaac  Richmond 
Mrs.  George  W.  H.  Ritchie 
Mr.  Leonard  M.  Robinson 
Mr.  Louis  ]'",.  Robinson 
Mr.  Robert  Rodman 


Rev.  Arthur  Rogers 
Mrs.  Mabel  K.  Rogers 
Mr.  Henry  W.  Sackett 
Mr.  Kenneth  Shaw  Safe 
Mrs.  T.  Shaw  Safe 
Mrs.  Harold  P.  Salisbury 
Mr.  Henry  Salomon 
Mr.  Henrv  T.  Samson 
Mrs.  G.  Coburn  Sanctuary 
Mrs.  David  S.  Seaman 
Mr.  Henrv  M.  Sessions 
Prof.  RobcTt  F.  Seybolt 
Mrs.  Walter  F.  Seymour 
Miss  Ellen  D.  Sharpe 
Mr.  Henry  D.  Sharpe 
Mrs.  Frederick  E.  Shaw 
Mrs.  George  St.  J.  Sheffield 
Mrs.  Arthur  N.  Sheldon 
Mr.  Edward  A.  Sherman 
Mr.  Edwin  F.  Sherman 
Mr.  Harry  B.  Sherman 
Mrs.  Arthur  F.  Short 
Mrs.  Philip  B.  Simonds 
Prof.  St.  George  L.  Sioussat 
Mrs.  Charles  Sisson 
Mr.  George  Paul  Slade 
Mrs.  Ruthven  T.  Slade 
Mr.  William  A.  Slade 
Mr.  Henry  L.  Slader 
Mrs.  Bvron  N.  H.  Smith 
Edgar  B.  Smith,  M.D. 
Mrs.  Edwin  C.  Smith 
Joseph  Smith,  M.D. 
Mr.  Nathaniel  W.  Smith 
R.  Morton  Smith,  M.D. 
Mr.  Walter  B.  Smith 
Mr.  Ward  E.  Smith 
Mrs.  Whitney  Smith 
Mr.  Sylvester  M.  Snow 
Mr.  Robert  L.  Spencer 
Mr.  William  A.  Spicer 
Hon.  Ernest  L.  Sprague 
Mrs.  Frank  J.  Sprague 
Mrs.  James  G.  Staton 
Hon.  Charles  F.  Stearns 


140 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Mr.  Walter  H.  Stearns 
Mrs.  Charles  J.  Steedman 
Mr.  Thomas  E.  Steere 
Mr.  Oscar  Frank  Stetson 
Mr.  Frederick  A.  Stevens 
Miss  Maud  Lyman  Stevens 
Mr.  Edward  Clinton  Stiness 
Mr.  Henry  Y.  Stites 
Mr.  George  A.  Stone 
Mr.  Charles  T.  Straight 
Mr.  H.  Nelson  Street 
Mr.  Henry  A.  Street 
Mr.  John  F.  Street 
Mr.  Rush  Sturges 
Hon.  Arthur  P.  Sumner 
Mr.  Frank  H.  Swan 
IVIrs.  Gardner  T.  Swarts 
Hon.  John  W.  Sweeney 
Miss  Louisa  A.  Sweetland 
Mr.  Robert  W.  Taft 
Mr.  Roval  C.  Taft 
Benjam'in  F.  Tefft,  M.D. 
Mr.  Charles  F.  Thatcher 
Miss  Jane  Arnold  Thomas 
Mrs.  J.  P.  Thorndike 
Mrs.  Frank  W.  Tillinghast 
Mr.  John  A.  Tillinghast 
Mr.  William  R.  Tillinghast 
Louisa  Paine  Tingley,  ^LD. 
Mr.  F.  L.  Titsworth 
Mrs.  William  O.  Todd 
Mrs.  Stacy  Tolman 
Mr.  Frederick  E.  Tripp 
Mr.  William  J.  Tully 
Mrs.  Albert  C.  Tyler 
Mr.  D.  Berkeley  Updike 
Mr.  William  H.  \'anderbilt 
Mr.  William  A.  Mall 
Hon.  Walter  B.  \'incent 


Mrs.  Arthur  M.  Walker 

Mr.  A.  Tingley  Wall 

Mrs.  Maurice  K.  Washburn 

Mr.  Frederick  \  .  Waterman 

Mrs.  Lewis  A.  Waterman 

Prof.  Arthur  E.  Watson 

Mr.  Byron  S.  Watson 

Mr.  Edward  L.  Watson 

Mr.  John  J.  W^atson 

Mr.  'W.  L.  Watson 

Mrs.  William  B.  Weeden 

Mr.  Edward  H.  Weeks 

Mrs.  Edward  H.  Weeks 

Mr.  Charles  H.  Welling 

Mr.  Richard  Ward  Greene  Welling 

Mr.  Herbert  j.  Wells 

Mr.  John  H.Wells 

Mr.  Thomas  H.  West,  Jr. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Nicholson  White 

Mr.  Herbert  O.  White 

Mr.  Willis  H.  White 

Mrs.  Gerald  Whitman 

Mrs.  Henrv  A.  Whitmarsh 

Mr.  Roy  F'.  Whitney 

Mr.  Frederick  Bernays  Wiener 

Mr.  Frank  J.  Wilder 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  K.  Wilkinson 

W.  Fred  Williams,  M.D. 

Mr.  Daniel  L.  Willmarth,  Jr. 

Miss  Amev  L.  Willson 

Mr.  Percv  J.  Wilson 

Mr.  William  A.  Wing 

Mr.  Wilson  G.  Wing 

Mrs.  George  P.  Winship 

Mrs.  Augustus  A.  Wolf 

Mrs.  C.  Howard  Wood 

Mr.  Carlos  G.  Wright 

Mr.  Nathan  M.  Wright 

Mr.  Lawrence  C.  Wroth 


\l-^    I. 


Roger  Williams  Press        PV^^^ 


t 


E.  A.  Johnson  Co. 
) 


PROVIDENCE 


Rhode    Island 
isto1r:tgal  Society 

COLfeE-CTIONS 


Vol.  XXIV      '      OCTOBER,  1931 


No.  4 


RUIXS  OF  THE   WALL   OF  QUEEN  S   FORT. 

Cnurlesy  of  the  Providence  Journal. 


Issued  Quarterly 


68  Waterman  Street,  Providence,  Rhode  Island 


CONTENIS 


PAGE 

Queen's  Fort 

by  Howard  M.  Chapin        ....        141 

Notes 157 

New  Publications  of  Rhode  Island  Interest  ,        158 

Port  of  Providence  Clearance  Bocjk,  1789    .  .        161 

Captain  John  Rous,  R.N.    .  .  .  .  .164 

Steamboat  Providence  .  .  .  .  .172 


RHODE 
HISTORICAL 


ISLAND 

SOCIETY 


COLLECTIONS 


VOL.  XXIV 


October,  1931 


No.  4 


Addison  P.  Munroe,  President     Gilbert  A.  Harrington,  Treasurer 
Howard  W.  Preston,  Secretary  Howard  M.  Chapin,  Librarian 


The  Society  assumes  no  responsibility  for  the  statements  or  the  opinions 
of  contributors. 


Queen's  Fort* 


About  a  mile  and  a  half  northwest  of  Wickford  Junc- 
tion on  the  North  Kingstown  and  Exeter  boundary  line, 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  south  of  the  southern  line  of  the 
Town  of  East  Greenwich,  rises  precipitously  a  steep  wooded 
knoll.  On  top  of  this  knoll,  which  reaches  a  height  of  372 
feet  above  sea  level,  the  highest  point  in  North  Kingstown, 
are  the  ruins  of  an  old  stone  wall.  Originally  this  rather 
crudely  made  stone  wall  must  have  stood  three  of  four 
feet  high,  but  the  ravages  of  time,  perhaps  assisted  by 
human  vandalism,  have  to  a  large  extent  demolished  the 
wall.  Enough  of  the  stones  however  remain  in  place,  with 
the  fallen  stones  heaped  about  them,  to  identify  the  lines 


*Queen's  Fort  was  recently  presented  to  the  Rhode  Island  Historical 
Society  by  Marsden  J.  Pcrrv,  Esq. 


142  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

of  the  former  fortifications.  For  this  dilapidated  stone  wall 
was  formerly  part  of  the  defences  of  a  mysterious  old  fort 
whose  history  is  now  lost  in  the  mist  of  antiquity. 

The  knoll,  which  arises  abruptly  some  forty  feet  above 
the  surrounding  country,  has  an  approximately  level  top, 
along  the  edge  of  which  the  wall  is  built.  From  the  south- 
east the  fort  is  protected  by  a  natural  formation,  for  that 
side  of  the  hill  is  covered  with  huge  boulders  which  would 
prevent  an  attack  by  an  armed  force  of  any  size.  These 
boulders  form  a  natural  wall  for  about  a  hundred  and  sev- 
enty feet.  From  the  east  end  of  the  boulders  the  artificial 
wall  extends  northerly  some  sixtv  feet  to  what  appears  to 
have  been  a  sort  of  bastion.  Thence  the  wall  extends  in  a 
northerly  and  westerlv  direction  to  a  large  clump  of  boul- 
ders on  the  north  side  of  the  hill.  From  the  west  side  of 
these  boulders  the  wall  continues  westerly  and  south- 
westerly about  a  hundred  and  twenty  feet  to  another  clump 
of  boulders.  At  one  point  in  this  section  the  original  wall 
seems  to  have  been  broken  by  an  entrance,  with  a  wall 
extending  northward  on  the  east  side  of  the  entrance  at 
right  angles  to  the  main  wall.  From  the  second  clump  of 
boulders  the  wall  continues,  irregularly  as  regards  the 
points  of  the  compass,  but  in  general  southerly,  to  the  west 
end  of  the  boulders  at  the  south  part  of  the  hill.  This  sec- 
tion of  the  wall  is  broken  by  two  or  three  small  clumps  of 
boulders,  by  a  gully,  by  an  entrance  from  the  west,  and  by 
one  well-marked  bastion  and  at  its  southern  end  by  what 
may  be  the  remains  of  another  bastion.  This  bastion,  as  well 
as  the  other  features  noted,  can  be  found  clearly  shown  on 
the  Plan  of  Queen^s  Fort^  drawn  in  November  1  865  by  Mr. 
Henry  B.  Hammond  for  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Soci- 
ety, and  published  on  the  cover  of  the  October  1923  issue 
of  the  Society's  Collect'ionSy  and  opposite  page  96  of 
Sacliems  of  the  N arra^ansetts.  Roughly  speaking  the  fort 
might  be  said  to  be  approximatelv  an  oval  of  about  two 
hundred  feet  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

Elisha  R.  Potter,  the  tireless  antiquary  of  the  South 


queen's  fort  143 

County,  recorded  the  current  traditions  of  his  day  in  regard 
to  this  fort  and  published  his  findings  in  1835  in  volume  3 
of  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society  Collections.  He 
states  ( p.  84)  that  this  was  the  remains  of  an  Indian  Fort, 
which  in  1835  was  "still  known  by  the  name  of  Queen* s 
Fort.**  Potter  continues:  "There  is  a  hollow  in  the  rock, 
which  has  been  always  known  as  the  Queen's  bedroom,  and 
a  large  room,  the  entrance  of  which  is  nearly  concealed,  and 
which  is  supposed  from  tradition,  to  have  been  a  hiding- 
place  for  the  Indians,  and  in  which  arrows  &c.  have  been 
often  found.  It  stands  on  land  now  owned  by  the  Northups, 
f ormerlv  bv  the  Wilkies,  and  is  sometimes  called  the  Wilky 
fort." 

This  reference  to  Queen's  Fort  by  Potter  is  a  footnote 
to  his  account  of  the  march  of  the  colonial  army  through 
"the  country  of  the  Old  Squaw  Queen."  His  account 
consists  of  a  rewording  of  the  account  in  an  anonymous 
pamphlet  printed  in  1676,  entitled  .1  Continuation  of  the 
State  of  Ne-zv  England,  being  a  farther  account  of  the 
Indian  War,  to  which  he  specifically  refers,  together  with 
some  items  from  Hubbard. 

Hubbard,  referring  to  the  march  of  December  19  wrote: 
"Thus  ha\'ing  waded  fourteen  or  fifteen  Mile  through 
the  Country  of  the  old  Queen,  or  Sunke  Squaw  of  Narha- 
ganset ;  they  canie  at  o\\*i  a  clock  upon  the  Edg  of  the 
Swamp,    ..." 

The  anonymous  author  of  the  Continuation,  referred  to 
above,  was  somewhat  confused  for  he  gi\'es  Saturday 
December  19,  1675  as  the  date  of  Captain  Prentice's 
expedition  to  "//;<?  Narragansett  Dwellings"  which  he  sub- 
sequently called  "the  Narragansett  Country  (or  Town,)." 
Saturday  did  not  fall  on  December  19,  but  on  December 
1  8,  which  it  later  appears  is  the  date  intended.  His  account 
runs  that  the\'  "marched  towards  the  Narragansett  Coun- 
try (or  Town)  where  finding  no  Indians,  the\'  were  at  a 
stand,  not  knowing  which  way  to  go  in  pursuit  of  the 
I>idia)is,  but  howe\  er  during  their  stay,  their  Capt.  Pren- 


144  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

tice,  with  his  company  discovered  some  place  under  ground, 
wherein  was  Indian  corn  laid  up  in  store  by  them:  this 
encouraged  them  to  look  further  j  whereupon  in  their 
search  they  found  several  good  quantities  of  that  grain  in 
like  manner,  which  afterwards  was  conveyed  to  the  gar- 
ison."  This  expedition,  according  to  the  anonymous  writer, 
took  place  on  the  Saturday  before  the  Great  Swamp  Fight, 
so  on  December  18,  apparently  during  the  march  of  the 
main  army  from  Cocumcussoc  to  Pettaquamscutt.  If  the 
date  of  the  expedition  is  correct,  it  was  the  second  trip 
made  by  Captain  Prentice  to  the  Indian  village  of  the  old 
Queen,  for  on  December  14  an  attack  was  made  on  this 
village,  as  is  shown  by  the  following  contemporary 
accounts. 

Joseph  Dudley  writing  from  "Mr,  Smith's"  on  Decem- 
ber 15,  wrote, ^  "We  have  burned  two  of  their  Towns,  viz: 
Ahmus  who  is  this  summer  come  down  amongst  them  &  the 
old  Queens  quarters  consisting  of  about  150,  many  of  them 
large,  wigwams  &  seized  &  slayn  50  persons  in  all  our 
prisoners  being  about  40". 

Hubbard  wrote  in  1677  "Two  Dayes  after,  Decemb. 
14th,  five  Files  of  men  sent  out  under  Serjeant  Bennet  and 
another,  upon  the  Scout,  kill'd  one  Man  and  one  Woman, 
and  brought  in  four  more  by  one  of  the  Clock:  the  whole 
company  marched  after  into  some  of  the  Sachim's  Country, 
where  they  burnt  an  hundred  and  fifty  Wigwams,  killed 
seven  of  the  Enemy,  and  brought  in  eight  Prisoners,  when 
they  returned  at  Night." 

The  anonymous  pamphlet,  already  quoted,  states  that 
"they  had  taken  SS  Indians  killed  10  more  and  burnt  150 
wigwams,  with  the  loss  of  four  of  our  men  and  as  many 
wounded.  This  exploit  was  performed  by  Captain  Pren- 
tice,  a  Captain  of  the  Horse". 

James  Oliver  writing"  on  January  26,  said  "Dec.  14th, 


^Bodge,  3d  Edit.,  p.   192. 
^Bodge,  3d  Edit.,  p.  174. 


queen's  fort  145 

our  general  went  out  with  horse  and  foot,  I  with  my  com- 
pany was  left  to  keep  garrison.  I  sent  out  30  of  my  men  to 
scout  abroad,  who  killeci  two  Indians,  and  brought  in  four 
prisoners,  one  of  whom  was  beheaded.  Our  army  came 
home  at  night,  killed  7,  and  brought  in  9  more,  voung  and 
old." 

.1  farther  Brief  and  True  Narration  of  the  late  'UL'ars  .  .  .  , 
printed  in  London  in  1676,  states:  "Captain  Prentice  with 
a  Troop  of  Horse  Scouting  to  discover  the  posture  of  the 
Enemy,  discovered  about  200  Indians^  which  were  sup- 
posed to  be  the  Squair  Sachems:  these  he  immediately 
engaged  with,  and  slew  ten  of  them,  and  took  about  40 
Prisoners,  ( in  which  Combate  only  his  Lieutenant  was 
wounded )  which  he  brought  to  the  English  Camp,  and 
then  found  where  the  Indians  had  buried  much  Corn  (as 
their  custom  is )  in  dry  pits  in  Baskets." 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  accounts  of  Oliver  and  Hubbard 
agree  that  two  expeditions  were  sent  out  on  December  14. 
Hubbard  relates  that  one  of  these  burned  150  wigwams 
which  agrees  with  the  anonymous  writer  and  with  Dud- 
ley's letter  of  December  1  5,  which  latter  document  locates 
definitely  the  150  wigwams  as  at  the  Old  Queen's  village. 

The  exact  location  of  the  "old  Queen's  quarters"  or 
"Town,"  the  site  of  the  150  wigwams,  cannot  be  identified 
from  the  meagre  references  that  have  come  down  to  our 
time,  but  it  may  well  have  been  near  Queen's  Fort. 

The  Old  Queen  was  Matantuck,  who  was  also  variously 
called  Quaiapen,  Sunksquaw,  Magnus,  the  Old  Queene, 
and  the  Squaw  Sachem. 

Female  chiefs  were  called  "saunks"  by  the  Lidians,  but 
many  English  writers  being  ignorant  of  that  fact,  thought 
it  a  proper  name  or  part  of  a  proper  name,  and  hence  such 
appellations  as  Snuke,  Sunke  and  Snake,  are  found  applied 
to  Matantuck  by  the  early  writers. 

Matantuck  was  an  Lidian  princess,  sister  of  Ninigret  and 
Wepitamock,  and  daughter  of  one  of  the  early  Niantic 
sachems,  possibly  Sasious.  Her  mother  was  sister  of  Canon- 


146  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

icus,  the  great  sachem  of  the  Narragansetts.  She  was  prob- 
ably born  in  the  hrst  decade  of  the  seventeenth  century  and 
was  married  to  her  cousin  Mixanno,  son  of  Canonicus. 
They  had  two  sons  Kascuttup,  and  Quequaquenuit,  and  a 
daughter  Quinimiquit. 

Upon  the  death  of  Canonicus  in  1647,  Mixanno  suc- 
ceeded him  as  one  of  the  two  Chief  Sachems  of  the  Narra- 
gansetts and  so  rvlatantuck  became  a  queen.  Mixanno  died 
between  1656  and  1659  leaving  Matantuck  a  widow  with 
three  children.  Her  two  sons,  Kascuttop,  often  called  Scut- 
top,  Sachem  of  Bassokutoquage,  and  Quequaquenuit  alias 
Wequaquenuit,  who  was  called  Gideon  by  the  English, 
succeeded  jointly  to  their  father's  inheritance  of  the 
sachemdom  of  the  Narragansetts  and  henceforth  for  some 
time  there  were  four  Chief  Sachems  of  the  Narragansetts, 
Miantonomi's  two  brothers  sharing  the  power  with  Mix- 
anno's  two  sons.  Quequaquenuit  seems  to  have  died  before 
1664  and  Scuttop  and  Quinimiquit  died  between  1664  and 
1668,  leaving  the  rights  to  the  sachemdom  to  their  mother. 
Matantuck,  now  usually  called  Quaiapen,  or  the  Old 
Queen,  became  one  of  the  Chief  Sachems  of  the  Narragan- 
setts and  continued  the  rest  of  her  life  to  share  the  royal 
power  with  the  other  Narragansett  chieftains. 

It  seems  probably  that  soon  after  their  marriage,  and 
even  before  the  death  of  Canonicus  in  1 647,  Mixanno  and 
Matantuck  took  up  their  residence  near  what  is  now 
Queen's  Fort.  Whether  they  occupied  a  previously  exist- 
ing Indian  village,  which  seems  probable,  or  whether  they 
founded  the  village,  that  was  burned  in  1675,  will  doubt- 
less never  be  known. 

Roger  Williams,  writing  on  October  9,  1650,  and  refer- 
ring to  an  Indian  village  which  was  probably  located  at  this 
place,  said:  Captain  Atherton  "requested  me  presently  to 
travel  to  the  Sachems,  met  together  in  mourning  for  Wepi- 
teammock's  dead  son  within  in  three  or  four  miles  of  my 
house".   Williams'  trading  post  was  nea:r  Cocumcussoc  and 


(JUEKX'S   FORT  147 

SO  located  within  four  miles  of  Queen's  Fort.  Wepita- 
mock  was  brother  of  iVJatantuck,  so  it  would  be  quite  nat- 
ural for  Wepitamock's  son  to  visit  the  \illage  ruled  over 
b\-  his  aunt  and  uncle. 

At  the  outbreak  of  King  Philip's  War  in  1675  three 
envoys  were  sent  from  Boston  to  try  to  induce  the  Narra- 
gansetts  to  remain  neutral  in  the  coming  struggle.  The 
envoys  reached  Providence  on  June  22  and  asked  Roger 
Williams  to  assist  them  in  their  mission.  Messengers  were 
sent  to  the  chief  Narragansett  sachems  asking  them  to  meet 
the  envoys  for  a  conference  at  Richard  Smith's  trading 
post  at  Cocumcussoc.  Williams  wrote  of  this:  "They  being 
uncivil  and  barbarous,  and  the  old  Queen  especially  tim- 
orous, we  condescended  to  meet  them  all  near  the  Great 
Pond,  at  least  ten  miles  from  Mr.  Smith's  home."  The 
result  of  the  conference  was  a  verbal  treaty  of  neutrality. 

Philip,  seeking  to  counteract  the  eiforts  of  the  English 
envoys  sent  the  heads  of  three  slain  Englishmen  to  Pessicus 
as  a  present,  but  he  refused  to  receive  them.  However,  the 
Old  Queen,  who  had  no  love  for  the  English,  "rewarded 
the  bringers  for  their  travel"  to  quote  a  contemporary 
writer. 

Two  weeks  after  the  Great  Swamp  Fight,  or  to  be  exact, 
on  January  4,  two  of  the  Narragansett  sachems,  presum- 
ably Canonicus  and  Matantuck,  now  usually  called  Quaia- 
pen,  sent  peace  messengers  to  the  English,  but  without 
success. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  war,  the  Old  Queen  Matantuck 
was  still  holding  out  with  a  few  followers  concealed  some- 
where in  the  wilderness. 

On  July  2,  1676  she  and  her  followers  were  surprised  in 
a  swamp  near  Nipsachuck  by  an  English  force  under  Major 
Talcott.  The  English  cavalrymen,  assisted  by  their  Indian 
allies,  fell  upon  the  Narragansetts  and  killed  all  the  war- 
riors who  were  defending  the  swamp.  The  victors  then 
rushed  into  the  swamp,  killing  and  capturing  the  rest.  One 
hundred  and  seventy-one  Indians  were  killed  or  captured. 


148  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

Among  those  killed  in  battle  was  the  old  squaw  sachem, 
Matantuck  alias  Magnus. 

She  is  described  by  William  Harris  in  August  1676  as 
"a  great  woman,  yea,  the  greatest  that  ther  was  the  sd 
woman  called  the  old  Queene".  On  the  other  hand,  Major 
Talcott  called  her  "that  ould  peice  of  venum,  Sucksquaw 
Magnus". 

This  fight  of  July  2,  is  often  confused  with  the  fight  of 
July  3,  in  which  Major  Talcott  defeated  another  band  of 
Indians  near  Warwick  Neck. 

Potter  (2d  edit.  p.  407)  records  the  tradition  that 
Queen's  Island,  now  usually  called  Rabbit  Island,  in  Wick- 
ford  Harbor  was  one  of  the  residences  of  "an  old  Indian 
Queen  before  the  great  war",  that  is  before  King  Philip's 
War.  The  "Old  Queen"  was  Matantuck  of  Queen's  Fort. 

Sidney  S.  Rider  in  his  book  on  Indian  lands  (p.  242) 
suggests  that  an  Indian  called  Stone  Wall  John  was  the 
constructor  of  Queen's  Fort  "because  the  contemporary 
English  writers  have  said  that  he,  and  he  alone,  of  all  the 
Indians,  could  do  such  things;  and  they  have  described  no 
other  Indian  possessed  of  such  talent".  This  theory  of  Mr. 
Rider  is  supported  by  two  facts;  that  Stone-Wall  John  lived 
in  this  district  and  that  he  built  forts  for  the  Indians.  The 
anonymous  author  of  A  Nezi'  and  Further  Narrative  of 
the  State  of  New  England  being  a  continued  account  of  the 
Bloody  Indian  War,  which  was  published  in  1676,  wrote 
"An  arch  villain  of  their  Party,  that  had  been  with  them 
at  the  sacking  of  Providence,  famously  known  by  the  name 
of  Stone-Wall  or  Stone-Layer  John,  for  that  being  an  active 
and  ingenious  fellow,  he  had  learnt  the  Mason's  Trade,  and 
was  of  great  use  to  the  Indians  in  building  their  Forts,  &c". 
This  contemporary  evidence  that  the  Indians  had  stone 
forts  is  of  great  historical  importance.  Hubbard  relates  that 
on  December  1 5  "an  Indian  called  Stone-Wall  John^\ 
came  to  Richard  Smith's,  pretending  to  come  from  the 
Sachims,  intimating  their  Willingness  to  have  Peace  with 
the  English"  and  Captain  Oliver  in  his  letter  dated  at 


queen's  fort  149 

"Narragansett  26th,  Uth,  1675  (that  is  January  26, 
1675/6)  wrote:'  "Dec.  15th  came  in  John,  a  rogue,  with 
pretence  of  peace". 

Stony  Fort 

About  six  miles  south  of  Queen's  Fort  near  the  South 
Kingstown  line  is  another  Indian  fort,  usually  known  by 
the  name  of  Stony  Fort.  It,  like  Queen's  Fort,  may  have 
been  the  handiwork  of  Stone-Wall  John.  Very  little  is 
known  about  Stony  Fort.  It  was  mentioned  in  the  layout 
of  a  highway  written  about  1703  (Potter  p.  224)  and  also 
in  the  deed  from  Anthony  Low  to  Jeffrey  Champlin  dated 
November  30,  1685.  (North  Kingstown  Deeds  2,  179). 
These  Indian  forts  were  rather  citadels  of  refuge  in  case 
of  attack,  than  forts  built  for  the  purpose  of  commanding 
a  strategic  position.  In  this  sense  these  Indian  forts  are 
more  analogous  to  the  English  garrison  houses  or  block 
houses,  than  to  commanding  military  fortifications.  Queen's 
Fort  may  have  been  so  used  as  a  place  of  refuge  at  the 
time  of  the  attack  on  the  Queen's  village  of  wigwams.  Mr. 
William  B.  Goodwin  of  Hartford,  an  authority  on  Indian 
affairs,  suggests  that  the  bastions  on  Queen's  Fort  may  have 
been  made  in  imitation  of  the  bastions  on  Fort  Ninigret 
which  he  considers  to  have  been  built  by  the  Dutch.  The 
bastion  was  not  a  natural  idea  for  the  Indian,  but  one 
adopted  from  Europan  civilization. 


Various  Stories 

Historic  spots  seem  to  have  a  penchant  for  giving  rise  to 
various  vague  stories  and  traditions,  and  Queen's  Fort  has 
been  no  exception.  Sidney  S.  Rider  (p.  243)  sought  to  iden- 
tifv  Queen's  Fort  as  the  fort  where  in   1662  an  Indian 


'Bodge.  See  ante. 


150  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

Sachem,  called  Shumatucke,  hid  some  horses  which  he  stole 
from  Thomas  Minor  of  Southertown  on  the  Pawcatuck 
River.  He  suggested  without  proof  that  Shumatucke  or 
Shawattock,  as  he  is  also  called,  was  sachem  of  a  tribe  of 
Indians  called  the  Showatucks  or  Wunnashowattuckoogs, 
and  that  this  tribe  lived  on  the  Showatucquere  River  near 
Wickford.  This  theory  of  Mr.  Rider  is  completely  refuted 
by  Roger  Williams'  letters  wherein  (  Narra.  Club  VI,  28, 
38,  et  als )  Williams  definitely  states  that  the  Wunnashowa- 
tuckoogs  were  "further  Neepmucks",  who  lived  near  the 
corner  of  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut, 
far  northwest  of  the  Narragansetts,  and  many  miles  north- 
west of  Wickford. 

This  theory  of  Rider,  gave  rise  to  a  garbled  story  to  the 
effect  that  Queen's  Fort  had  been  built  by  horse  thieves. 

The  Narragansett  Historical  Register^  for  1882  con- 
tains an  anonymous  account  of  Queen's  Fort  in  which  it  is 
called  WUkes  Fort.  The  article  reads:  "WILKES  FORT. 
— This  used  to  be  a  halting  place  for  the  Nipmuc  Indians, 
They  and  the  Shore  Indians  usually  had  difficulty  in  the 
spring  about  the  fish.  They  partly  fortified  their  place,  and 
after  their  day  a  band  of  outlaws  added  immensely  to  the 
work,  and  lived  there  in  open  defiance  of  the  law  a  number 
of  years.  Its  last  inhabitant  was  William  Reynolds,  an 
insane  man  who  lived  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  fortress 
for  several  years,  and  until  his  friends  removed  him  to  a 
better  location.  At  this  place  there  is  a  natural  curiosity 
known  as  the  "Queen's  Bed  Chamber".  This  was  used  by 
Queen  Bess,  the  last  princess  who  lived  here.  It  was 
expected  the  Indians  would  be  found  during  that  celebrated 
march  to  the  Great  Swamp,  in  December,  in  Philip's  time. 
A  lot  of  buried  corn  was  found  and  evidence  that  the 
Indians  had  recently  been  there." 

Queen  Bess  seems  to  be  entirely  a  mythical  person  as  far 


*Vol.  I,  p.  9. 


queen's  fort  151 

as  the  Narragansett  Indians  are  concerned,  unless  the 
writer  of  this  rather  untrustworthy  story  had  Matantuck, 
the  Old  Queen,  in  mind. 

Five  years  later  in  1889  Cole,  in  his  History  of  Wash- 
ington and  Kent  Counties  ( p").  66i  )  referred  to  the  fort  as 
"the  ruins  of  Wilkey  Fort  (  an  old  Indian  fort )",  and  later 
in  the  same  article  called  it  Queen^s  Fort.  He  stated  that 
"William  Reynolds  resided  here  some  forty  or  hfty  years". 
In  his  description  of  Queen's  Fort,  Cole  wrote,  "The  wall 
runs  east  and  west,  and  at  either  corner  were  once  stone 
huts,  probably  the  residence  of  some  Indian  chief."  Cole 
mistook  the  bastions  for  the  foundations  of  huts.  There  is 
no  evidence  that  the  bastions  ever  had  roofs.  In  recounting 
its  Indian  history.  Cole  wrote:  "In  a  small  valley  just  west 
of  the  wall  is  a  unique  collection  of  stones  forming  a  nat- 
ural cavern,  in  which  it  is  said  Maquus,  the  squaw  sachem, 
once  resided,  but  the  chamber  is  now  nearly  filled  with 
rubbish. 

"A  little  to  the  west  of  this  once  enticing  retreat  for  the 
savage  heroine  is  a  sand  bank  where  the  soldiers  on  their 
celebrated  march  from  Richard  Smith's  house  toward  the 
big  swamp  halted,  expecting  to  find  a  body  of  Indians  whom 
they  intended  to  attack.  But  upon  reaching  this  place  the 
soldiers  found  that  the  Indians  had  returned  to  their  for- 
tress, leaving  them  only  a  quantity  of  corn,  which  was 
safely  secured". 

Maquus  is  evidently  a  misspelling  of  Magnus,  which 
itself  is  thought  to  have  been  a  corruption  of  Matantuck. 
The  latter  part  of  Cole's  account  clearly  refers  to  the  second 
expedition  of  Captain  Prentice,  which  has  already  been 
narrated. 

The  natural  cavern  or  chamber  is  what  is  usually  called 
the  Queen's  bed-chamber.  This  Queen's  beci  chamber, 
though  well  known  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, has  been  lost  for  many  years.  In  1865  Mr.  Ham- 
mond, on  his  Plan  of  Queen's  Fort  erroneously  identified 
the  east  bastion  as  the  Queen's  bed-chamber  anci  added  as 


152 


RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 


ENTRANCE   TO   A    CAVE   NEAR   QUEEN  S   FORT. 

This  cave  is   identified  by  local  residents  as  the  traditional 

Queen's    Bed    Chamber. 


Courtesy  of   the  Proi-idcnce   Journal 


queen's  fort  153 

his  personal  opinion  that  the  walls  of  this  bastion  or  cham- 
ber were  of  recent  construction. 

Rider  wrote  in  regard  to  the  Queen's  Chamber,  as  he 
called  it:  "This  extraordinary  chamber  is  not  within  the 
Fort,  but  outside,  west,  and  distant  perhaps  a  hundred  feet. 
It  consists  of  an  open  space  beneath  an  immense  mass  of 
boulder  rocks;  the  tallest  man  can  stand  within  itj  the 
floor  is  fine  white  sand;  the  entrance  is  so  hidden  that  six 
feet  away  it  would  never  be  suspected;  the  boulders  piled 
about  it  represent  a  thickness  of  fifty  or  sixty  feet.  Such  is 
my  rough  description  of  the  Queen's  Chamber".  The  boul- 
ders over  the  Queen's  bed  chamber  are  shown,  though  not 
so  identified,  in  the  Hammond  plan.  Rider  published  a 
very  rough  plan  of  Queen's  Fort  which  does  not  show  the 
Queen's  Chamber  boulders. 


A  Series  of  Indian  Forts 

Queen's  Fort  seems  to  have  been  one  of  a  long  series  of 
Indian  forts.  Six  miles  south  of  it  is  Stony  Fort,  which  has 
already  been  mentioned.  Three  miles  southwest  of  Stony 
Fort,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Chipuxet  River,  north  of 
Larkin  Pond,  the  remains  of  an  Indian  fort  are  shown  on 
the  Rhode  Island  Atlas  of  1  895.  This  Atlas  also  shows  the 
remains  of  another  Indian  fort,  some  three  miles  to  the 
westward,  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  Great  Swamp,  just 
east  of  the  Usquepaug  River.  There  certainly  was  an 
Indian  fort  on  the  Island  in  the  Great  Swamp  which  served 
as  the  point  of  attack  in  the  Great  Swamp  Fight  of  Decem- 
ber 19,  1675.  This  fort  is  described  as  follows  by  the 
printed  chronicle  of  1676,  "the  Indians  had  built  a  kind  of 
Fort,  being  Palisado's  round  and  within  that  a  clay  Wall,  as 
also  felled  down  abundance  of  Trees  to  lay  quite  round  the 
said  Fort,  but  they  had  not  quite  finished  the  said  work", 
and  Hubbard  wrote  of  it:  "The  Fort  was  raised  upon  a 
kind  of  Island  of  five  or  six  Acres  of  rising  Land  in  the 
midst  of  a  Swamp;  the  sides  of  it  were  made  of  Palisadoes 


154  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

set  upright,  the  which  was  compassed  about  with  an  Hedg 
of  almost  a  rod  thickness" 

About  seven  miles  south  of  the  Island  in  the  Great 
Swamp  lies  what  is  called  Fort  Ninigret.  It  is  a  rectangular 
fort  located  on  the  crest  of  a  promontory  whose  sharp  sides 
descend  to  the  waters  of  Ninigret  Pond  (  formerly  Charles- 
town  Pond).  The  fort  consists  of  a  wall  made  of  stones 
and  earth,  the  outer  covering  of  earth  almost  concealing 
the  stones.  Outside  of  the  wall  is  a  trough  or  moat.  The 
fort  is  rectangular,  almost  square,  and  at  three  corners  it 
has  bastions.  There  is  no  bastion  at  the  southwest  corner. 
From  the  land  side  the  fort  is  approached  from  the  north 
over  a  flat  plain. 

This  seems  very  probably  to  have  been  the  fort  men- 
tioned by  Captain  John  Mason  in  his  account  of  the  Pequot 
War  in  1637.  After  telling  about  their  landing  on  the 
shore  of  Narragansett  Bay,  Mason  continued:  "we 
marched  from  thence  to  a  place  called  Nayanticke,  it  being 
about  eighteen  or  twenty  miles  distant,  where  another  of 
those  Narragansett  Sachems  lived  in  a  fortj  it  bemg  a 
Frontier  to  the  Pequots."  The  distance  in  a  direct  line  from 
Saunderstown  on  Narragansett  Bay  near  where  the  English 
probably  landed  to  Fort  Ninigret  is  about  fifteen  miles,  but 
following  the  Indian  trails,  as  Mason  went,  the  distance 
would  be  at  least  seventeen  or  eighteen  miles.  Mason  gives 
the  distance  from  this  fort  to  the  Pawcatuck  River  as  "about 
twelve  miles".  In  a  straight  line  the  distance  is  about  ten 
miles  and  by  the  Indian  trails  would  be  about  twelve  miles, 
as  Mason  said.  This  would  seem  to  establish  the  existence 
of  Fort  Ninigret  as  early  as  1 637. 

The  fort,  as  laid  out  geometrically,  clearly  shows  the 
influence  of  European  civilization.  It  must  have  been  built 
either  by  Europeans  or  by  Indians  working  under  direction 
of  a  European.  In  either  case  it  would  seem  that  the 
European  influence  must  have  been  Dutch  rather  than  Eng- 
lish, for  the  bulk  of  the  export  trade  of  the  Narragansett 
Indians  before    1637   had  been   with   the  Dutch.     Dutch 


OUKKX's   FORT  155 

traders  had  been  frequent  visitors  to  the  Narragansett 
shores.  Mason  ap'»plied  the  name  Nayanticke  to  this  fort 
and  Pessicus'  deed  of  1661  locates  the  Niantick  lands  as 
east  of  Weekapaug.  (  R.  I.  H.  S.  C.  Ill,  246.)  Also  see 
Wait  Winthrop's  letter,  1675,  printed  hv  Soc.  of  Col. 
Wars  in  R.  I.   1919. 

Just  before  Mason's  expedition  Roger  Williams  drew  a 
rough  diagramatic  representation  of  the  district  for  the  use 
of  the  army.  The  original  of  this  diagram  is  lost,  but  a  copy 
of  it,  made  in  1825  locates  "Nayantaquit  where  is  Wepi- 
teammock  and  our  friends"  as  on  the  west  side  of  a  river, 
apparently  intended  for  the  Pawcatuck  River  and  between 
it  and  the  river  at  Mystic.  Of  course  in  the  copy  the  loca- 
tion of  Nayantaquit  may  have  been  placed  on  the  wrong 
side  of  the  river,  or  it  may  even  have  been  misplaced  on  the 
original  sketch,  for  Roger  Williams  made  the  map  from  the 
reports  of  friendly  Indians,  not  from  personal  observations. 
Roger  Williams  suggested  at  this  time  that  "Nayantaquit, 
which  is  Miantunnomue's  place  of  rendezvous,  be  thought 
on  for  the  riding  place  and  retiring  to  of  vessel  or  vessels, 
which  place  is  faithful  to  the  Nanhiggonticks  (Narragan- 
setts)  and  at  present  enmity  with  the  Pequts".  This 
would  seem  to  indicate  Nayantaquit  as  on  the  Pawcatuck 
River,  unless  the  river  was  intended  to  represent  Charles- 
town  Inlet  and  the  brook  at  Cross  Mills. 

Potter'  commenting  on  this  fort  wrote:  "The  English 
evidently  did  not  build  it,  for  it  was  there  very  early,  nor 
would  they  have  taught  the  Indians  to  build  it". 

Writing  in  1858  Samuel  G.  Arnold  (I,  155)  stated  that 
the  Dutch  had  two  fortified  trading  posts  on  the  south  shore 
of  Narragansett,  in  what  is  now  Charlestown.  Arnold  does 
not  locate  them,  but  Rider  in  1903  stated  that  these  forts 
were  Fort  Ninigret  and  a  fort  at  Chemungancjck. 


•'R.  I.  Hist.  Soc.  Coll.  in,  2a  Kdit.,  p.  342. 
AlsoCf.  R.  I.  Hist.  Soc.  Coll.  XI\ ,  1. 


156  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

The  remains  of  the  fort  at  Chemunganock  (Shumun- 
canuc  Hillj  are  described  as  earthworks  about  sixty  yards 
square,  without  bastions,  and  are  located  as  on  the  land  of 
the  late  George  N.  Crandall." 

Denison  in  1878  confused  Wepitamock  with  Ninigret 
and  stated  that  Ninigret  was  in  command  of  this  fort  in 
1637,  thus  leading  to  the  application  of  the  name  Fort 
Ninigret  to  the  fort  in  1 883  at  the  dedication  of  the  memo- 
rial boulder. 

Mr.  William  B.  Goodwin  believes  that  Dutch  traders 
may  have  built  Fort  Ninigret  after  1627  and  that  it  is  the 
fort  referred  to  in  some  documents  which  he  has  found  in 
Europe. 

There  is  the  remains  of  another  Indian  fort  in  Rhode 
Island,  Pomham's  Fort  on  the  west  side  of  Warwick  Neck, 
which  was  built  for  him  by  the  Massachusetts  Bay  authori- 
ties in  1644.  It  has  been  appropriately  marked  by  the 
Rhode  Island  Historical  Society  and  an  account  of  this  fort 
appears  in  the  January  1918  issue  of  the  Society's  Collec- 
tions. The  ruins  now  consist  of  low  earthworks.  It  origi- 
nally contained  a  "strong  house  of  pallizado". 

H.  M.  C. 


'The  Day,  New  London,  Aug.  7,  1931. 


157 


Notes 

The  following  persons  have  been  elected  to  membership 
in  the  Society: 

Mrs.  Joshua  M.  Addeman      Mr.  Clinton  F,  Stevens 
Mr.  William  H.  Peck  Mr.  Charles  Shepard 

Mr.  Edward  H.  West 

Mrs.  Joshua  M.  Addeman  presented  to  the  Society  a 
collection  of  manuscripts  and  pamphlets  relating  to  Rhode 
Island  gathered  by  her  late  husband,  and  also  a  blue  and 
gray  china  pitcher  which  was  found  in  an  Indian  grave  at 
Fort  Neck,  Charlestown,  R.  I.  This  grave  was  opened  in 
1878  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Addeman. 

In  volume  one  of  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society 
Manuscripts  (page  17)  is  a  document  in  the  handwriting 
of  William  Harris,  on  the  back  of  which  he  made  the  fol- 
lowing notation:  "This  the  coppy  of  tht  for  which  I  was 
Imprisoned  &  tryed  for  my  life".  The  original  is  in  the 
Connecticut  State  Archives  and  is  printed  in  the  Rhode 
Island  Historical  Society  Collections,  X,  104-1 1  8. 


Bequest 

Mr.  John  F.  Street  of  Pawtucket,  for  many  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Society,  died  on  June  29,  1931.  He  left  a  bequest 
of  $1,000  to  the  Society. 


158  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 


New  Publications  of  Rhode  Island  Interest 

Providence  Illustrated  Ginde,  a  Handbook  for  Residents 
and  Visitors y  by  John  Williams  Haley.  Providence,  1931, 
143  pages,  illustrated. 

Antiques  for  September,  1 93 1 ,  p.  1  76,  contains  an  article 
on  silver  and  latten  spoons  found  during  excavations  in 
Rhode  Island.  The  maker's  marks  on  the  seventeenth 
century  spoons  are  described  in  detail. 

CAPTAIN  Owen's  narrative  (  Continued  from  p.  129) 

\161 

At  Providence,  Captain  Owen  was  invited  to  "an  elegant 
supper  and  ball,"  where,  to  quote  his  own  words,  "the  one 
and  twenty  girls  that  danced  ( who  were  from  the  age  of 
fifteen  to  eighteen,  and  not  one  exceeding  twenty  years) 
were  all  so  exquisitely  handsome — so  divinely  fair,  that, 
had  they  been  in  the  Seraglio  at  Constantinople,  the  Grand- 
Signior  would  have  been  puzzled  which  he  should  drop  the 
handkerchief  to: —  I  never  beheld  a  group  of  more  angelic 
creatures — so  much  sweetness  and  elegance,  blended  with 
pure  innocence  and  simplicity".  (  From  Neii'  York  Public 
Library  Bulletin  for  May,  1931.) 

The  Gulf  Stream 

About  1770,  complaint  was  made  to  the  London  officials 
that  the  English  packets  which  came  to  New  York  took 
about  two  weeks  longer  in  crossing  than  did  the  Rhode 
Island  merchant  ships  which  put  in  at  Narragansett  Bay 
ports.  Benjamin  Franklin,  being  in  London  at  the  time, 
was  consulted  about  the  matter.  To  quote  his  own  words: 

"It  appearing  strange  to  me  that  there  should  be  such  a 
difference  between  two  places,  scarce  a  day's  run  asunder 
I  could  not  but  think  the  fact  misunderstood  or  mis- 


XKW   rUBLICATIOXS  OF  RHODE   ISLAND  IXTKKKST  159 

represented.  There  happened  then  to  be  in  London  a  Nan- 
tucket sea  captain  of  my  acquaintance,  to  whom  I  commu- 
nicated the  affair.  He  told  me  he  believed  the  fact  might  be 
true,  but  the  difference  was  owing  to  this,  that  the  Rhode 
Island  captains  were  acquainted  with   the   Gulf  Stream, 

which  those  of  the  English  packets  were  not When 

the  winds  are  but  light,  he  added,  they  are  carried  back  by 

the  current  more  than  they  are  forwarded  by  the  wind 

I  then  observed  that  it  was  a  pity  no  notice  was  taken  of  the 
current  upon  the  charts,  and  requested  him  to  mark  it  out 
for  me,  which  he  readily  complied  with,  adding  directions 
for  avoiding  it  in  sailing  from  Europe  to  North  America". 
(  Extract  from  a  letter  from  Benjamin  Franklin  to  Alphon- 
sus  le  Roy  of  Paris.  See  Trans.  Amer.  Philos.  Soc.  II,  314.) 
From  The  Giilj  Stream  and  Its  Pyobleuis  by  H.  A,  Mar- 
mer.  Smithsonian  Rept.  1929,  p.  286. 

Weunquesh 

That  Weunquesh  was  living  as  late  as  April,  1685,  and 
at  that  time  was  married,  is  proved  by  an  item  in  the  records 
of  the  Westconnaug  Proprietors,  a  copy  of  which  was 
recently  presented  to  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society 
by  Mr.  Theodore  G.  Foster  of  Lansing,  Michigan. 

The  item  is  the  record  of  a  charge  made  by  John  Fones 
for  expenses:  April  20,  1685  to  going  to  Squomakuck  to 
treat  with  the  Indian  Queen  and  her  husband  and  others 
about  the  Purchase.  Four  days  with  my  expences  on  that 
Journey  0. 14.6.  To  4  yards  of  Duffil  given  per  order  of  the 
Trustees  to  the  Indian  Queen  and  her  husband  20/1.0.0." 

The  Indian  Queen  at  this  time  was  Weunquesh.  Very 
little,  indeed,  is  known  about  her,  so  that  every  scrap  of 
new  data  is  of  importance.  The  few  references  to  her  may 
be  found  in: 

R.  I.  Hist.  Soc.  Coll.  Ill,  99;  and  XX,  14,  containing 
references  to  other  articles  relating  to  her. 

Sachems  of  the  Narra^ansetts^  published  bv  the  R.  L 
Hist.  Soc.  1931, pp.  91-93,  104-108  and  111. 


160 


RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 


Rider's  Book  Notes,  XXIX,  1  7  and  28. 
Narra.  Hist.  Reg.  VII,  35y  containing  a  reprint  of  her 
petition  of  1680. 

R.  I.  Col.  Rec.  111,68. 
Conn.  Col.  Rec.  Ill,  103. 


Copy  of  a  Letter  to  the  Stage  Actors  (179+) 

Being  informed,  that  you  have  in  contemplation  the  act- 
ing of  Plays  in  this  Town,  notwithstanding  the  Law  of  the 
State,  and  the  Resolution  of  the  Town  manifesting  their 
disapprobation  thereof.  We  have  thought  best  to  assure 
you,  that  we  cannot  consistant  with  our  Idea  of  good  Citizen- 
ship suffer  the  Law  of  the  State  to  be  violated  with  Impu- 
nity, after  the  resolution  of  the  Town  expressly  taken  on 
the  subject.  And  therefore  take  this  method  of  requesting 
you,  to  forbear  any  transaction  which  may  lay  you  liable  to 
the  penalty  of  the  I>aw  in  that  case  made  and  provided.  We 
hope  you  will  consider  this  not  as  a  threat,  but  a  friendly 
caution,  and  assurance  of  our  conclusion  to  see  the  Law 
executed  after  deliberate  consideration  on  the  subject. 


Nicholas  Brown 
George  Benson 
Jona  P.  Jones 
Joseph  Fuller 
Bazzillai  Richmond 
Wm,  Richmond 
Caleb  Wheaton 
Tom  Hill 
Edwd  Thurber 
Sylvanus  Martin 
Timothy  Shelden 
Wheeler  Martin 
Joshua  Lindsey 
Aaron  Wright 
Sand  Pitman 


Charles  Holden 
John  Pitman 
Isaac  Pitman 
Moses  Brown 
Saml  Thurber  Jur. 
Zephaniah  Andrews 
J.  W.  Coy 
Saml  Proud 
Phineas  Potter 
Seth  Wheaton 
E  Brown 
Stephen  Randall 
Thomas  Arnold 
Edwd  Knowles 
Wm.  Holroy'd 


NEW  PUBLICATIONS  OF  RHODE  ISLAND  INTEREST  161 

This  manuscript  ( R.  I.  H.  S.  Ms.  XVI,  145)  was  found 
in  the  Almy  and  Brown  Papers  among  letters  and  accounts 
dated  1 794.  It  gives  us  a  list  of  those  who  opposed  theatri- 
cal performances  and  attempted  to  block  the  development 
of  the  theatre  in  Providence. 

References  to  the  early  development  of  the  theatre  in 
Rhode  Islanci  will  be  found  in  An  Historical  Account  of 
the  Providence  Stage,  l>eing  a  paper  read  before  the  Rhode 
Island  Historical  Society  by  Charles  Blake,  Providence, 
I860;  History  of  the  Providence  Stage  by  George  O. 
Willard,  Providence,  1891;  Early  College  Performances 
of  Otzcay  in  Providence  by  Harold  Karl  Halpert  in  Rhode 
Island  Historical  Society  Collections,  April  1930;  The 
Colonial  Theatre  in  New  England,  by  Professor  B.  W. 
Brown,  in  Special  Bulletin  of  the  Newport  Historical 
Society,  July  1930;  Book  Notes,  XXIII,  142;  and  Rhode 
Island  Historical  Society  Publications,  1898,  VI,  141,  189 
and  228. 

Port  of  Providence  Clearance  Book,  1789 

Cojnniunicated  by 
Mr.  T.  G.  Foster,  of  Lansing,  Mich. 

A  BOOK  FOR  CLEARANCES  of  vessels,  cargoes, 
etc.  exported  from  the  Port  of  Providence  in  the  State  of 
Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations  begun  on  Satur- 
day, the  twentieth  day  of  June  AD  1789  from  which  day, 
Theodore  Foster  of  said  Providence  was  appointed  Intend- 
ent  of  Trade  for  the  said  Port  of  Providence  by  Letter  of 
Surrogation  under  his  Excellency's  Sign  Manuel  of  that 
date. 

1.  A  D  1789  June  20,  Sloop  Hancock,  James  Noyce 
Brown,  master,  1  8  tons,  4  men,  owned  by  James  Man- 

•  ning  &  James  N.  Brown.  Bound  for  New  York.  23 
Tons  Pig  Iron,  8  Hogsheads  Stone  Lime,  8  Barrels 
Sugar. 


162  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

2.  June  lif  Sloop  Ant,  Daniel  Bucklin,  Jun.  master,  22 
tons,  5  men,  owned  by  Clarke  &  Nightengale.  Bound 
for  State  of  Delaware.  4  Casks  N.  E.  Rum  27  Bbls 
Ditto  3  Casks  Mol—  2  Hogsheads  &  1 0  Casks  Geneva 
of  American  Manufacture  360  yards  of  Tow  Cloth 
3m  Bricks    1000#  Flax  300#  Cheese   50#  Bokea  Tea 

5  Firkins  of  Butter  Invoice  of  Iron  &  Crockery  Ware 
2  Doz  Pair  Cotton  Cards  6t  of  Cod  fish  6  Boxes  Choc- 
olate 1 2  Pairs  of  Men's  Leather  Shoes  1  doz. 
Women's  Shoes  2^  Doz  Felt  Hats  2  Saddles  2  Doz 
Pails     1  Barrel  Fish  Oil    1  Barrel  of  Gurry. 

3.  June  24,  Sloop  Joanna,  Micheal  Anthony,  Master,  15 
tons,  3  men,  for  New  York.  1 0  Hogsheads  of  Molases 
8  Do  Stone  Lime  5  Casks  Nails  2  Ditto  Salt  12  Bun- 
dles Papers  3  Ditto  Leather  2  Barrels  Pickled  Cod- 
fish 34#  Indigo  1  Cask  Sugar  A  Quantity  of  Country 
Produce  Some  Household  Furniture  2  Doz  Iron 
Shovels. 

4.  June  26,  Schooner  Sally,  Joseph  Rhodes,  master,  60 
tons,  5  men,  for  Virginia.   60  Hogsheads  of  Lime. 

5.  June  26^  Sloop  Barnstable  Packet,  David  Scudder, 
master,  25  tons,  3  men,  for  Barnstable.  45t  Cotton  1 0 
Barrels  Salt  10  m  Nails  16t  Sugar  10m  Shingles  Im 
Boards. 

6.  June  27,  Sloop  Lively,  Isaac  Manchester,  master,  25 
tons,  5  men,  for  Virginia.    3  Hogsheads  of  Molasses 

6  Hhs  and  3  Barrls  Rum  and  80  Bushels  of  Salt 

7.  June  27,  Sloop  Packet,  Payne  El  well,  master,  39  tons, 
4  men,  for  North  Yarmouth.  1  Cask  Rice  1  Cask 
Tobacco  1  Chest  Tea  200  t  Loose  Tea  lOOt  Coffee 
2  Barrels  Sugar  300t  Cotton  1  Barrel  New  England 
Rum 

8.  June  29,  Sloop  Lark  Sydney,  John  Tillinghast,  master, 
60  tons,  6  men  for  Virginia.  50  Hogsheads  of  Stone 
Lime  3  Hhs  Sugar   1  5  Bbl  Ditto 


rORT   OF   PROVIDKXCE  (LKARAXCF.  BOOK.    1789  163 

9.  June  30,  Sloop  Betsey,  Nathan  \\\  Jackson,  master,  30 
tons,  5  men,  for  Alexandria.  60  Hogsheads  Stone 
Lime  25  Kegs  Salmon  30  Barrels  Herring  5  Barrels 
Beef  250  Yards  Tow  Cloth  24  Yards  Shirting  Checks 

7  Boxes  Choclate   2 of  Cod  fish   324#  Flax   2 

Barrels  Potatoes  100#  Sole  Leather  5  Dozen  Walk- 
ing Sticks  8  Boxes  Spermaceti  Candles  3  Perkins  of 
Butter  10  Barrels  of  Pork  40  Pair  Womens  Cloth 
Shoes  30  Pair  Mens  Leather  Shoes  6  Hundred 
Weight  of  Cheese  8  Bbls  Cyder  3  Boxes  Tallow 
Candles  4  Barrels  of  Mackeral  2  Reams  Wrapping 
Paper  7  Reams  Writing  Paper 

The  above  being  the  Produce  &  \lanufacture  of  the 
State — 2  Barrels  of  New  England  Rum  3  Barrels  of 
Sugar, 

10.  July  1,  Schooner  Dean,  William  Bullock,  master,  30 
tons,  5  men,  1  Hogshead  of  Molasses  1  Barrel  Sugar 
I  Barrel  N.  E.  Rum  2  Barrels  of  Pork  12  Ditto 
Flour— Bread  50  Bushels  of  Salt  20  Pair  Mens 
Shoes    100  Yards  of  Tow  and  Flannel  Cloth. 

11.  July  1,  Schooner  Sally,  Joseph  Merrick,  master,  37 
tons,  3  men,  for  Bay  of  Fundy.  27  Barrels  of  Salt  5 
Barrels  of  Flour  60  Sheep  with  Hay  Stores,  etc. 

Data  relating  to  early  Rhode  Island  shipping  will  be 
found  in  The  Letter  Book  of  Pele^  Sanjord  and  The  Letter 
Book  of  James  Broiimeyhoth  of  which  were  published  bv  the 
Rhode  Island  Historical  Society;  in  Commerce  of  Rhode 
Island  which  are  volumes  69  and  70  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society  Collections;  and  in  the  Rhode  Ldand 
Historical  Society  Collections  XI\',  99  and  125  \  X\'I,  84; 
XXIII,  76  and  XXIV,  73. 


164  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 


Captain  John  Rous,  R.  N. 

John  Rous,  who  is  regarded  by  many  as  the  ablest  Amer- 
ican naval  commander  of  the  colonial  period,  has  generally 
been  considered  a  Massachusetts  man,  but  the  Rous  fam- 
ily papers,  recently  presented  to  the  Society  by  Captain 
G.  Andrews  Moriarty,  Jr.,  F.  S.  A.,  prove  that  for  many 
years  Rous  was  a  resident  of  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  and 
that  his  chief  connection  with  Massachusetts  was  that  he 
commanded  vessels  owned  in  Massachusetts. 

John  Rous,  or  Rousse  as  the  name  was  originally  spelled, 
was  born  at  St.  Pierre  Port  in  the  Island  of  Guernsey  on 
January  28,  1699,  and  was  baptized  on  the  eighth  of  Feb- 
ruary. He  was  the  son  of  Captain  Denis  Rousse  and  his 
wife,  Sarah  Turner. 

A  copy  of  the  baptismal  record,  made  on  parchment  in 
1717,  preserves  the  quaint  old  French  of  the  record  of  the 
baptism,  as  it  was  entered  in  the  parish  records  of  the  little 
Channel  Island  church: 

"Extrait  des  Registres  des  Baptemes  administrez  En  la 
Paroisse  de  St  Pierre  Port  en  L'Isle  de  Guernsey 

"Jean  his  du  Capitaine  Denis  Rousse  et  de  Sara  Turner 
sa  feme  dont  Les  Srs  Jean  et  Robert  Renouf  ont  este 
pareins  et  Dlle  Marie  Renouf  mareine,  Le  dit  Jean  ne 
Le  Jeudy  28'"  de  Janvier  1699-1700  et  battize  Le  Jeudy 
8'"  de  Feuburier  en  suivant". 

John's  father,  Denis  Rousse,  was  a  captain,  presumably 
a  sea  captain,  and  as  the  Channel  Islands  have  for  centuries 
been  famous  for  the  mariners  which  they  have  produced, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  John  took  to  the  sea  and  followed 
the  profession  of  his  father,  from  whom  he  doubtless 
acquired  his  nautical  training  as  well  as  his  love  of  the  sea. 

As  might  be  expected,  we  have  no  records  of  his  child- 
hood and  youth,  but  we  may  picture  him  as  playing  around 
the  harbor  of  St.  Pierre,  rowing  and  sailing  small  boats  and 


CAPTAIN    JOHN    ROUS,    R.  N.  165 

watching  and  visiting  the  larger  sea-going  vessels  that  sailed 
from  this  port. 

He  followed  the  sea,  and  the  next  record  we  have  of  him 
is  after  he  had  crossed  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

John  Rous  appeared  in  Newport  as  early  as  1  725,  where 
on  January  2  he  was  married  to  Jean  Rucketts.  In  the  record 
of  Trinity  Church  his  name  is  spelled  Rouse  and  her  name 
is  given  as  Jean,  doubtless  an  attempt  to  spell  Jeanne.  As 
Rucketts  is  not  a  Newport  name,  and  as  both  her  given  and 
family  name  have  a  certain  French  suggestion,  it  seems 
quite  possible  that  she  may  have  been  a  Channel  Island 
girl,  perhaps  a  childhood  friend  and  playmate  of  John 
Rous.  They  had  at  least  two  children,  Jane  and  Sarah, 
named  for  the  mother  and  grandmother  respectively. 

John  Rous  seems  to  have  been  an  apt  pupil  in  his  father's 
profession.  As  might  be  expected,  records  of  him  in  the 
twenties  and  thirties  are  hard  to  hnd.  Yet  we  may  be  sure 
that  he  rose  gradually  in  his  chosen  vocation  of  merchant 
marine  sailor  and  underwent  the  rough  training  and  haz- 
ardous experiences  of  the  early  eighteenth  century  mar- 
iners. The  hot  weather  of  the  tropics,  the  biting  cold  of  the 
North  Atlantic  winter,  storms,  unseaworthy  crafts,  bad 
food,  and  doubtless  occasional  shortages  of  food  and  water, 
fell  to  his  lot  as  to  most  of  the  seamen  of  the  period. 

The  next  record  of  him  appears  to  be  the  following 
receipt: 

"November  the  6th  1  734  Reed  of  John  Rouse  Master 
of  the  Sloop  Speedwell  twelve  pounds  seven  shillings  8  d 
for  three  months  &  five  days  for  wages  due  to  me  for  a 
voyage  to  New  foundland 

Elisha  Rydon" 

Rous  spent  some  time  as  master  of  vessels  in  the  West 
Indies  trade,  and  in  1  742  gave  the  following  testimony  in 
regard  to  the  common  practice  of  changing  the  names  of 
vessels  in  order  that  the  names  might  conform  to  the  ship's 
papers. 


166  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

He  deposed,  "Years  ago  I  was  in  Curacao  and  had  a  sea 
brief  limited  for  six  months  and  during  that  time  I  was 
master  of  three  different  vessels  and  used  the  same  sea 
brief  for  them  all,  calling  them  successively  by  the  same 
name.  The  vessels  above  mentioned  were  of  the  burthen 
of  about  eight,  nine  and  twelve  tons,  the  two  hrst  of  which 
vessels  belonged  to  Dutchmen,  as  I  understood,  and  the 
other  was  owned  by  a  Frenchman  as  I  took  it  and  was  hired 
by  the  above  Dutchman  and  afterwards,  I  believe,  was 
returned  to  the  Frenchmen  again.  They  all  sailed  from 
Curacao  to  the  Island  of  Canco  and  back  again  to  Curacao." 

Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  War  of  Jenkins'  Ear  in  1739, 
John  Jones  of  Boston,  who  later  in  the  year  was  associated 
in  a  privateering  venture  with  George  Wanton  of  Newport, 
fitted  out  the  privateer  Young  Eagle,  a  bilander  of  100 
tons,  carrying  1 2  carriage  guns  and  1  8  swivel  guns.  The 
command  of  this  vessel  was  given  to  Capt.  Philip  Duma- 
resq,  who  received  his  commission  on  August  24.  John  Rous 
signed  up  as  first  lieutenant.  Why  Rous  shipped  on  the 
Young  Eagle  is  not  definitely  known,  for  he  may  have  been 
drawn  to  this  ship  for  two  very  different  reasons.  Rous  was 
a  Newport  skipper  and  so  must  have  been  acquainted  with 
George  Wanton,  one  of  Newport's  leading  shipowners,  and 
indeed  he  may  have  previously  sailed  in  command  of  some 
of  Wanton's  vessels.  It  is  quite  possible,  therefore,  that  it 
may  have  been  through  Wanton  and  Jones  that  Rous 
became  interested  in  this  venture.  On  the  other  hand,  both 
Rous  and  Dumaresq  were  natives  of  the  Channel  Island  and 
this  may  have  been  the  bond  that  drew  them  together  and 
that  induced  Rous  to  turn  from  the  merchant  marine  to 
privateering. 

Rous'  entrance  into  naval  service,  or  what  perhaps, 
strictly  speaking,  should  more  properly  be  called  privateer- 
ing, was  almost  immediately  encompassed  in  the  excitement 
of  an  incipient  mutiny,  an  omen  or  harbinger  of  what  pri- 
vateering was  to  mean  to  him. 

A  detailed  account  of  Rous'  service  on  the  privateer 


CAPTAIX    JOHN    ROUS.    R.  X.  167 

Young  Eagle,  and  his  capture  of  the  Amsterdam  Post,  will 
be  found  in  Chapin's  Prrcateenng  in  King  George^s  W ar 
(pages  7-12). 

In  February,  1  739-40,  Captain  Dumaresq  ordered  Lieu- 
tenant Rous  to  take  the  prize  sloop  Beginning  to  Gibraltar, 
so  Rous,  with  a  prize  crew  of  ten  men,  sailed  from  Madeira. 
D'wize,  one  of  this  prize  crew,  said  that  he  overheard  Rous, 
Gabrielshundh  and  Hall  plot  to  scuttle  the  ship  rather  than 
go  to  Gibraltar,  and  there  were  rumors  on  foot  that  there 
was  a  plot  to  run  away  with  the  Young  Eagle.  Rous  was 
reported  to  ha\'e  said  that  they  would  all  be  hanged  at 
Cadiz  if  taken  by  the  Spaniards,  because  goods  had  been 
taken  out  of  uncondemned  prizes.  Some  of  the  reports  may 
have  been  exaggerated  by  ex-parte  accounts,  but  be  that  as 
it  may,  Rous  and  the  prize  returned  to  Madeira  the  next 
day.  At  sonie  point  in  the  excitement,  Rous  kicked  chief 
mate  Loud  in  the  face,  and  it  was  further  reported  that 
Rous,  when  lieutenant  in  command  of  the  Young  Eagle, 
said  he  "would  stretch  his  commission  as  far  as  it  would  go, 
but  New  England  should  never  have  the  honour  of  seeing 
him  hanged."  Rous  was  imprisoned  at  Madeira  for  nine 
days,  and  then  on  March  6,  1  739/40,  released  to  enlist  as 
master's  mate  on  H.  M.  S.  Ruby,  on  which  he  served  until 
April  21,  1740.  The  naval  officers  and  others  testified  to 
Rous'  good  behavior,  and  stated  that  Captain  Dumaresq 
confronted  him  with  no  serious  charges.  Joseph  Rous,  his 
brother,  also  served  on  the  Ruby  at  this  time.  Some  two 
years  later,  when  Rous  became  captain  of  the  Young  Eagle 
and  was  beating  up  for  volunteers  in  Boston,  a  complaint 
was  entered  that  Loud  followed  the  drummer  in  a  riotous 
manner,  cursing  and  abusing  Rous. 

John  Rous  returned  to  America  and  again  took  up  the 
profession  of  a  captain  in  the  merchant  marine.  He  com- 
manded the  sloop  Sarah,  which  sailed  from  Newport  on 
July  28,  1  740.  bound  for  Maryland. 

Rous  doubtless  had  no  more  trouble  on  his  ^'arious  sea 
voyages  than  usualU'  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  average  mariner, 


168  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

but,  owing  to  the  fact  that  several  depositions  have  been 
preserved,  we  are  able  to  get  a  few  intimate  side-lights  on 
his  personality  and  experiences. 

"The  Examination  of  Thomas  Birt  Aged  aboute  twenty 
years  being  first  Sworn  on  the  holy  Evengels  of  almighty 
God  Deposseth  and  Saith  that  aboute  the  28th  day  of  July 
anno  Dom.  1  740.  he  this  Deponant  Sailed  from  Rhode 
Island  with  Capt.  John  Rouse  in  his  Sloop  called  the  Sarah, 
Togeather  with  Severall  others  Belonging  to  the  Said  Ves- 
sell.  Particularly  a  Certain  Trustom  Coffin  whome  this 
Deponant  Understood  was  Shipt  Mate  of  the  Said  Sloop 
and  bound  for  Maryland,  and  that  on  the  Fryday  follow- 
ing the  Said  Thrustom  Coffin  went  up  to  the  Maste  head  of 
Said  Vessell  and  Stay'd  theire  aboute  halph  an  hour,  and 
when  he  came  Down  upon  Deck,  he  said  Coffin  Used  Sev- 
erall words  in  this  Mannor  throwing  his  hatt  down  upon 
the  Said  Deck,  Saying  Capt.  Rouse  there  is  two  Spanards 
Seeing  two  Sloops,  to  wind  ward  and  that  he  should  be 
Master  of  the  Smallest  of  them,  and  that  they  Should  go 
into  the  Capes  Togeather  Meaning  the  Capes  of  Virginia 
and  aboute  two  days  after,  this  Deponent  arrived  within  the 
Said  Capes,  the  said  Coffin  Saw  a  Small  Tobacco  Sloop, 
where  upon  the  Said  Coffin  Said  that  Sloop  was  a  whailer 
whereupon  Capt.  John  Rouse  Replyed  and  told  the  said 
Coffin  that  it  was  no  such  thing  and  that  he  was  a  Blockhead 
in  Saying  so  and  Said  it  was  a  Tobacco  Droger,  which  the 
said  Coffin  Insisted  and  Said  it  was  a  Whailor,  Showing  the 
Said  Rouse  how  the  Boate  which  was  at  the  Starne  of  the 
Said  Tobacco  Sloop  had  its  Motion  Like  a  whailor,  then  the 
Said  Capt  Rouse  ordered  the  Said  Coffin  to  go  into  the  hole 
of  the  Said  Sloop  which  the  Said  Coffin  Refused,  and  the 
Said  Rouse  thereup  took  up  a  pump  brake  threatning  him 
that  he  would  Strick  him,  but  this  Deponant  Declareth 
that  the  Said  Rouse  Never  Strock  the  Said  Coffin  with  Said 
pump  brake  but  Laid  it  down  againe,  where  upon  the  Said 
Capt  Rouse  Insisted  to  Secure  him,  that  the  said  Coffin 
should  not  do  any  Damage,  Raveing  Like  a  madman,  and 


CAPTAIN'    JOHN    ROUS,    R.  N.  169 

that  amediatly  Stript  of  his  Cloaths  and  Strock  the  said 
Capt.  Rouse  Severall  Times,  whereupon  the  said  Capt. 
Rouse  and  a  Certaine  Benjamin  Rickels  also  Edward  Caine, 
assisted  in  Securing  the  Saici  Coffin  and  Tyed  his  hands 
behind  him  and  put  him  into  the  hole  of  Said  V^essell,  being 
Tyed  with  the  Lead  Line,  he  the  said  Coffin  Complaining 
that  the  Line  hurt  him  whereupon  Capt.  Rouse  ordered  a 
point  to  be  got  to  pinion  him  and  Accordingly  the  said  Rouse 
tyed  the  Said  Coffin  with  the  said  point  then  the  Said  Coffin 
Replyed  he  could  not  go  down  into  the  hole  of  Said  Ves- 
sell  the  saici  Rouse  told  him  he  would  assist  him  down  in  the 
hole,  and  accordingly  went  down  to  assist  him,  he  the  said 
Coffin  Refused  to  have  any  assitance  from  the  Said  Rouse, 
but  took  hold  of  a  Rope  and  went  down  thereby  and  Stood 
in  the  hole  of  Said  \'essell,  and  the  Said  Coffin  Uesed 
Strange  Surprizeng  words,  More  Like  a  mad  man  then  a 
man  in  his  Sence's  Saying  the  Lord  have  Mercy  upon  us, 
John  Rouse  wants  to  take  my  Life,  but  Blood  for  Blood  and 
Life  for  Life  I  will  have  Revenge  If  I  Live,  being  at  an 
anchor  in  the  Said  Bay  at  New  point  Comfort  this  Deponant 
Declareth  that  the  Said  Capt.  Rouse  Said,  wee  want  fresh 
provisions,  wee  will  go  ashore  and  git  Som  whereupon  the 
Boate  was  hoisted  from  on  board  the  said  Sloop  and  the 
Said  Capt.  Rouse  Togeather  with  Benjamin  Rickels  and 
Edward  Caine  went  a  Shore,  Leaving  the  Said  Trustom 
Coffin,  and  this  Deponant  on  Board  of  the  Said  Sloop,  when 
the  Said  Capt.  Rouse  with  his  two  men  afd  had  got  a  Con- 
siderable Distance  from  the  said  Sloop  in  ord.  to  go  a  Shore, 
the  said  Trustom  Coffin  Called  to  Thomas  Birt  this  Depo- 
nant that  he  was  Hungry  whereupon  this  Deponant  Car- 
ryed  him  Some  \'ickles,  the  Said  Coffin  Jumpt  upon  the 
said  Deck  Saying  Soha.  this  Deponant  askt  him  the  said 
Coffin  what  he  was  agoing  to  do,  he  Replyed  he  was  going 
to  Swim  on  Boarci  of  yonder  Sloop  which  was  aboute  a 
mile  &  a  halph  from  the  Said  V^essell  the  Deponant  was 
onboard  of  Calling  the  said  Sloop  a  Whailor,  which  this 
Deponant  took  to  be  a  Tobacco  Droger  whereupon  this 


170  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

Depont  went  into  the  Cabbin  and  got  one  of  the  Collors  of 
Said  Sloop,  to  make  a  Signall  that  Capt.  Rouse  might  see, 
that  he  might  Returne  to  the  said  Sloop  and  Secure  the  said 
Coffin,  but  seeing  of  it,  the  said  Capt.  Rouse  told  this 
Depont  when  he  came  on  board,  that  he  thought  it  was 
Cloaths  hung  up  to  Drye  and  did  not  then  Returne,  then  the 
said  Coffin  went  over  the  Side  of  the  Said  Vessell  and  Hung 
by  his  hands  at  the  Chains,  to  feele  whether  the  water  was 
Cold,  whereupon  he  told  this  Deponant  that  the  water  was 
Cold,  and  came  on  board  Againe,  and  put  on  him  a  thick 
pair  of  Britches,  and  a  Brown  Holland  Jacket  and  a  Straw 
hatt,  with  a  pair  of  Silver  Shoe  Buckles  and  knee  Buckles 
tyed  with  a  String  Round  his  Neck  with  out  any  Shoos  or 
Stockins  or  Cap.  then  went  upon  the  Quarter  Deck  and  got 
a  knife  awhestone  and  wheted  his  knife  a  Considerable  time, 
telling  this  Deponant  that  if  he  Hoisted  the  Jack  or  Collers 
any  more  and  that  the  Boate  came  on  Board,  that  he  would 
amediatly  go  on  Board  the  Sloop,  this  Deponant  Replyed 
to  the  said  Coffin  that  if  he  should  go  from  on  Board,  that 
he  this  Deponant  should  be  Blaimed,  whereupon  the  said 
Coffin  Replyed  that  there  was  no  Danger  and  that  he  should 
have  no  Blame  come  to  him  Still  this  Deponant  useing 
many  prevailing  words  that  he  might  not  go,  feareing  that 
he  would  be  drowned,  then  the  said  Coffin  took  up  a  wes- 
coat  from  the  Quarter  Deck,  and  took  out  of  the  pocket,  a 
pocket  Book  and  takeing  out  of  the  said  Book  two  peices  of 
paper,  telling  this  Deponant  they  ware  Each  of  them  three 
pound  Notes,  which  this  Deponant  does  not  know  that  they 
were  so.  then  the  said  Coffin  Laid  down  the  saide  wescoate 
on  the  winless  of  the  said  Vessell  puting  his  pocket  Book  in 
his  wescoate  againe  then  taking  the  key  out  of  his  Chest  put 
it  in  his  Britches  pocket  which  he  had  on,  then  this  Deponant 
went  into  the  Cabbin,  Leaving  the  said  Coffin  up  on  Deck, 
the  said  Coffin  Called  to  this  Deponant  asking  him  if  he 
would  not  See  him  go  overboard,  this  Deponant  Replying 
no,  and  Looking  out  at  the  Cabbin  door  upon  Deck  and  not 
Seeing  the  said  Coffin,  amagined  he  was  gone,  whereupon 


CAPTAIX     JOHN     ROUS,     R.  N.  171 

this  Deponant  went  upon  Deck  and  Looking  over  the  side 
of  the  said  \'essell,  Saw  the  Said  Coffin  in  the  water  Swim- 
ing,  being  Dusk  or  Date  in  the  Evening,  Could  Scarce  See 
him,  but  thought  he  was  Endeavouring  to  Swim  towards 
the  afd  Sloop  wth  the  Said  Coffin  threatned  to  Swim  on 
board  before,  and  amediatly  Saw  no  more  of  the  Saici  C\)ffin 
Soon  after  this  Deponant  Saith  that  Capt.  Jno.  Rouse  Came 
on  board  with  his  boate,  anci  men  as  aforsd  where  he  brought 
a  Lamb  with  him,  this  Deponant  further  Declareth  that 
when  the  said  Coffin  was  Swiming  away  in  the  water  the 
said  Coffin  called  to  this  Deponant  and  Bed  him  far  well  but 
this  Deponant  made  no  answer,  and  further  Saith  not. 
Thomas  Burt 

"Sworne  to  before  me  the  Subscriber  one  of  his  Lordship 
Justices  of  the  peace  for  Talbot  County  this  4th  day  of 
October  ano  Dom.  1  740, 

Risdenbosman" 

As  an  aftermath  of  the  Tristom  Coffin  affair  there  is  the 
following  order,  dated:  "Nantucket  July  the  28th  1741. 
frind  rouse  be  pleas  to  deliver  my  sons  chist  &  beding  to 
Beniamin  Chase  &.  he  will  pa\-  the  balance  &  his  receart  shall 
be  your  discharg 

Peter  Coffin". 

On  the  reverse  is  Benj.  Chase's  receipt. 

Rous'  love  of  adventure  haci  been  aroused  by  this  pri\a- 
teering  experience  and  he  could  not  for  long  resist  the  lure 
of  going  "a-privateering."  He  soon  accepted  a  commission 
as  captain  of  the  Speedwell,  a  privateer  sloop  of  80  tons 
which  was  ow^ned  by  John  Jones  of  Boston  and  George 
Wanton  of  Newport.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Jones 
owned  the  privateer  Young  Eagle,  on  which  Rous  had 
served  as  Hrst  lieutenant.  The  Speedwell  was  armed  with 
eight  carriage  guns  and  fourteen  swivels,  and  carried  a 
crew  of  80  or  90  nien.  Earl\-  in  October,  Rous  beat  up  for 
\'olunteers,  and,  ha\ing  signed  up  enough  hands,  sailed  on 


172 


RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 


w    .-    o 
r     >  O 


CATTAIX    JOHN    ROUS,    R.  N.  175 

October  13,  1740.  He  laid  his  course  southeastward  and 
planned  to  cruise  in  the  same  waters  that  were  already 
familiar  to  him,  thanks  to  his  service  on  the  Young  Eagle.* 

Captain  Rous  began  to  speculate  in  pri\'ateer  shares  as 
early  as  1  741 ,  as  is  shown  by  a  receipt: 

"September  the  21,  1  741  Recev'd  of  Capt.  John  Rousse 
the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  pound  being  for  a  shear 
belonging  to  my  son  of  the  duch  prize  brot  in  by  Capt. 
bayod  I  say  Receved  by  me 

Job  Caswell" 

On  July  20  he  bought  of  James  Russell,  "one  of  Capt. 
Wimble's  Company,"  for  100  old  tenor  one  "whole  Share 
Right  &  Proportion  of  the  ship  Angola  her  Cargo  and 
Appurtenances  brought  into  this  Port  of  Newport  afore- 
said by  the  two  Privateers  Commanded  by  Capt.  James 
Allen  &  Capt.  James  Wimble". 

On  July  23  he  bought  of  James  Russell,  who  described 
himself  as  "one  of  the  Company  of  the  Private  Mann  of 
W^arr  Sloop  called  the  Revenge  Commanded  by  Capt. 
James  Wimble,"  for  £15  current  money  of  the  colony  one 
"whole  share  Right  &  Proportion  of  all  the  Prizes,  Prize 
Goods  &  every  thing  else  taken  by  Sd  Private  Man  of  Warr 
&  Company  &  brought  into  Newport  aforsd  &  Carried  into 
New  Providence", 

Rous  sailed  in  command  of  the  Young  Eagle  on  Decem- 
ber 19,  1741,  on  a  privateering  cruise.  An  account  of  his 
exploits  while  commander  of  this  privateer  will  be  found  in 
Privateering  in  King  George^ s  War  (pages  1  8-29). 

In  the  Louisbourg  expedition  of  1745,  Rous  was  given 
the  command  of  the  snow  Shirley,  a  galley  of  24  guns, 
named  in  honor  of  Governor  William  Shirley.  He  sailed 
from  King's  Roads,  as  Nantasket  was  then  called,  at 
4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  on  Sunday,  March  24,  1 745,  con- 


*For  an  account  of  this  cruise,  see  Privateering  in  King  George's  War 
(pages  33-36). 


174  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

voying  the  fleet  of  5 1  transports  and  armed  sloops.  George 
Whitefield,  the  evangelist,  gave  the  expedition  somewhat 
the  aspect  of  a  crusade,  by  suggesting  as  a  motto  for  their 
flag:  Nil  des-perandmn  Chris  to  duce^  which  flag  presumably 
was  flown  from  the  Shirley.  The  fleet  touched  at  Sheepscot, 
and  awaited  the  second  detachment,  which  sailed  from  Bos- 
ton on  the  26th.  Three  days  later,  the  entire  fleet,  consist- 
ing of  63  sail,  weighed  anchors  and  sailed  for  Cape  Breton. 
As  might  be  expected  at  this  season  of  the  year,  the  fleet  was 
scattered  by  the  bad  weather  that  was  encountered  on  the 
voyage.  A  northeast  storm  raged  all  day  on  March  30,  and 
the  Shirley,  with  twenty  vessels  that  had  succeeded  in  keep- 
ing together,  arrived  at  Canso  on  April  4.  The  French 
frigate  Renommee  was  sighted  off  Canso  on  April  1  8,  and 
the  Shirley,  accompanied  by  the  sloop  Massachusetts  and 
the  sloop  Abigail,  went  in  chase.  On  the  next  day,  the  Shir- 
ley, Captain  Rous,  took  an  important  part  in  the  battle  with 
the  Renommee,  firing  1  1  5  shots  at  her  during  the  engage- 
ment. The  Shirley  returned  to  Canso  on  the  21st,  and  Gen- 
eral Pepperell  made  his  headquarters  on  board  of  her  until 
the  26th,  when,  in  company  with  the  Tartar,  the  Shirley 
again  went  in  pursuit  of  the  Renommee,  They  overtook  the 
French  vessel  to  the  west  of  George's  Banks  and  attacked 
her,  but  she,  being  a  better  sailer,  easily  escaped  the  Shirley. 
The  latter  continued  westward  and  reached  Nantasket  on 
May  2.  She  sailed  again  in  a  day  or  two,  convoying  five 
transports,  and  on  this  voyage  again  fell  in  with  the  Renom- 
mee, which  attacked  one  of  the  transports  and  forced  her  to 
strike  her  colors.  The  Renommee  then  left  her  to  chase  the 
Shirley,  thus  enabling  the  captured  vessel  to  escape.  The 
Shirley  outsailed  the  Renommee  this  time,  and  reached 
Canso  in  safety.  She  sailed  from  Canso  on  the  1 5th,  convoy- 
ing her  charges,  and  arrived  at  Chapeaurouge  Bay  the  next 
day. 

The  Shirley,  Captain  Rous,  joined  in  the  chase  of  the 
ship  Vigilant,  64  guns,  Capt.  Alexandre  Boisdecourt,  Mar- 
quis de  la  Maisonfort,  at  3   o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of 


CAPTAIN    JOHN    ROUS,    R.  N.  175 

May  1 9,  and  "plied  her  bow  chasers  very  well"  from  6  to  7 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  the  Vigilant  outdistanced  her. 
The  Shirley  sailed  for  Annapolis  June  2,  convoying  two 
schooners,  and  at  Annapolis  received  orders  to  proceed  to 
Boston.  She  again  arrived  off  Louisbourg  with  artillery 
about  June  25. 

The  Shirle)',  Captain  Rous,  sailed  on  July  6  amid  the 
salutes  of  the  men-of-war  with  despatches  for  England, 
where  she  arrived  after  a  voyage  of  three  weeks.  She 
crossed  the  Atlantic  in  four  weeks  on  her  return  voyage, 
and  arrived  at  Louisbourg  on  September  24,  bringing  news 
of  Commodore  Warren's  promotion  to  the  rank  of  Rear 
Admiral.  She  hred  fifteen  guns  and  H.  M.  S.  Superb 
answered  with  thirteen  guns. 

Maclay  tells  us  that  after  the  Shirley,  Captain  Rous,  had 
completed  her  work  in  connection  with  the  Louisbourg 
expedition,  "she  separated  from  her  consorts  and  captured 
eight  French  vessels,  two  of  which  made  a  determined 
resistance.  For  this  service  Captain  Rous  received  a  cap- 
tain's conimission  in  the  King's  service."  The  Boston  Nezvs- 
Lelfer^  for  October  1 0,  states  that  Commodore  Warren  had 
by  that  time  received  orders  to  buy  the  Shirley,  and  to  issue 
a  captain's  conimission  in  the  Royal  Navy  to  Captain  Rous. 
The  Shn-ley  was  dri\'en  ashore  in  a  gale  at  Annapolis  Ro\al 
in  1  746,  but  was  floated. 

John  Charnock,  in  his  Biographla  Navalis  (London, 
1  797,  Volume  V,  page  412)  gives  the  following  account  of 
Captain  John  Rous: 

"John  Rous.  This  gentleman  was  by  birth  an  American; 
and  having  risen  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant  in  the  navy, 
quitted  for  a  time  his  majesty's  service  and  took  the  com- 
mand of  a  private  ship  of  war  fitted  out  from  New  England. 
We  have  not  been  able  to  collect  any  subsequent  informa- 
tion concerning  him,  except  that  having  distinguished  him- 
self in  this  occupation  so  highlv,  as  to  attract  the  notice  of 
sir  Peter  Warren,  who  in  1745,  was  commodore  of  the 
armament  sent  against  Louisbourg;   he  was  by  hini  pro- 


176  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

moted  to  be  a  commander  in  the  navy,  and,  on  the  24th  of 
September,  1745,  advanced  to  be  captain  of  the  Shirley 
galley.  This  vessel  was  the  same  he  had  before  commanded 
as  a  privateer  j  it  was  afterwards  hired  into  the  service  as  an 
armed  ship  on  the  sloop  establishment  j  and  lastly,  put  on 
the  higher  footing  of  a  postship  or  frigate. 

"Immediately  after  peace  had  taken  place  we  find  a 
gentleman  of  the  same  name  appointed  captain  of  the 
Albany  sloop.  It  is  by  no  means  improbable  that  he  was  the 
same  person,  for  many  instances  occur  of  a  post  captain  hav- 
ing in  time  of  peace,  accepted  of  such  inferior  commissions". 

John  Rous,  the  privateersman,  is  probably  not  identical 
with  the  John  Rous  who  was  appointed  captain  of  the 
Albany,  for  John  Rous,  the  privateersman,  had  retired  from 
naval  service  before  the  end  of  the  war  and  in  1 747  was 
captain  of  a  flag  of  truce. 

Charnock  continues  his  account  with  the  biography  of  a 
Captain  John  Rous,  perhaps  the  one  who  was  captain  of  the 
Albany.  He  served  as  captain  of  H.  M.  S.  Success  in  1755, 
at  Louisbourg  in  1758,  and  died  at  Portsmouth,  England, 
on  April  3,  1760.  This  man  cannot  be  identical  with  our 
John  Rous,  the  privateersman  of  Newport,  who  was  Jost  at 
sea  in  1750. 

Charnock,  it  will  be  noted,  was  also  in  error  in  stating 
that  Rous  was  an  American  by  birth.  As  has  been  shown, 
Rous  was  born  in  Guernsey,  one  of  the  Channel  Islands,  but 
removed  to  America,  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Newport, 
Rhode  Island. 

{To  be  continue/I) 


Roger  Williams  Press 


t 


E.   A.  Johnson   Co. 


PROVIDENCE 


Rhode    Island 

Historical  Society 
Collections 


Vol.  XXV 


JANUARY,   1932 


No.   1 


PART   OF   THE    HII.T   OF   WASHINGTON  S   SWORD 

It  was  treasured  for  years  by  the  Carroll  family  of  Virginia  and  in  1861, 
was  presented  by  members  of  that  family  to  the  First  Rhode  Island 
Regiment. 

In  the  Society'' s  Miiseimt.  —..^ 


Issued  Quarterly 


68  Waterman  Street,  Providence,  Rhode  Island 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

The  Hilt  of  Washington's  Sword  .  .  .    Cover 

Notes  regarding  Fort  Ninigret 

by  William  B.  Goodwin        ....  1 

New  Publications  of  Rhode  Island  Interest   .          .  16 

Candlesticks  used  at  ball  held  in  honor  of 

George  Washington    .          .          .          .          .  17 

Notes 18 

Letter  from  Martha  Washington          .          .          .  19 

Revolutionary  Orders  of  1780 

from  the  library  of  Frederick  S.  Peck     .          .  20 

Captain  John  Rous,  R.  N 23 

The  Snow  Eliza          ......  29 

Bowen  Family  Notes 

by  Charles  Shepard      .          .          .          .          .  30 


RHODE 
HISTORICAL 


ISLAND 

SOCIETY 


COLLECTIONS 


VOL.  XXV 


JANUARY,   1932 


No.   1 


Addison  P.  Munroe,  President     Gilbert  A.  Harrington,  Treasurer 
Howard  W.  Preston,  Secretary  Howard  M.  Chapin,  Librarian 


The  Society  assumes  no  responsibility  for  the  statements  or  the  opinions 
of  contributors. 


Notes  Rcrardinor  the  Oris^in  of  Fort  Ninifrret 

in  the  Narragansett  Country 

at  Charlestown 

By  William  B.  Goodwin 

In  searching  the  historical  archives  of  the  settlement  and 
occupation  by  the  Dutch  West  India  Company,  from  1623 
to  1674,  of  that  part  of  New  England  and  New  York, 
originally  known  as  the  Dutch  New  Netherlands,  the 
writer  came  across  two  salient  excerpts  which  led  him  to 
believe  that  there  must  have  been  a  somewhat  earlier  Dutch 
trading  station  and/or  fort  in  the  Narragansett  Country  in 
Rhode  Island  than  has  hitherto  been  generally  accepted. 
Writers  of  Rhode  Island  history,  with  one  exception,  have 
indicated  that  the  fort  on  the  point  of  land  on  Charlestown 
Pond,  which  from  time  immemorial  has  been  called  Nini- 


Z  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

gret's  Fort,  was  built  by  that  Eastern  Niantic  chieftain, 
Ninigret,  hiinself.  The  one  exception  was  the  writer,  who 
stated  that  this  fort  had  been  originally  built  by  the  Dutch 
traders,  assigning,  however,  no  date.  Morever,  the  Point, 
itself,  has  become  known  by  years  of  tradition  as  Dutch 
Point. 

The  following  references  to  a  fort,  owned  by  the  Dutch 
in  the  Narragansett  Country  prior  to  their  purchase  in 
1635-'37  of  what  is  now  known  as  Dutch  Island  and  which 
the  Dutch  called,  "Quetenis,"  from  its  Indian  name,  are 
the  basis  which  led  to  our  asking  permission  of  the  Metro- 
politan Park  Commission,  under  whose  control  this  small 
park  is  held,  to  permit  us  to  excavate  in  a  preliminary 
manner  for  any  possible  evidence  that  this  fort  was  not  an 
Indian  fort  but  a  fort  built  by  the  Dutch  prior  to  the  time 
they  acquired  Dutch  Island  as  a  trading  post. 

The  first  interesting  information  concerning  the  Dutch 
fort,  prior  to  the  purchase  of  Quetenis  Island  and  the  loca- 
tion of  a  trading  station  at  Sowams,  the  capital  town  of  the 
Wampanoag  Indians,  is  contained  in  a  letter  dated  1631, 
written  in  a  tone  of  protest  by  the  ambassador  from  the 
States  General  to  the  Court  of  King  James  in  reply  to  the 
British  Ambassador  at  the  Court  of  The  Hague.  The 
British  Ambassador  had  made  a  broad  statement  that  the 
Dutch  had  no  right,  either  by  settlement  or  occupation, 
to  the  country  of  the  New  Netherlands.  In  his  reply,  the 
Dutch  Ambassador  said,  "Before  1630,  we  had  a  fort  and 
colony  in  the  Narragansett  Country  which  has  been  con- 
tinuously occupied." 

The  next  statement  is  from  the  Assembly  of  the  XIX.  to 
the  States  General,  November,  1627,  Documentary  His- 
tory of  Nezv  York,  Vol.  1 ,  page  38  : 

"The  last  letters  from  New  Netherland  bring 
word,  that  the  English  of  New  Plymouth  threaten  to 
drive  away  those  there,  or  disturb  them  in  their  settle- 
ment and  little  colony,  notwithstanding  our's  hereto- 


NOTKS  RFX.ARDIXr,  THK  ORTGIX  OF  FORT  NIXIGRKT  6 

fore  had  tendered  to  them  every  good  correspondence 
and  friendship.  They  therefore  request  the  aid  of 
forty  Soldiers  for  their  defence.  We  would  rather 
see  it  secured  by  friendly  alliance." 

The   third   statement  is   from   Wassenaer's  Historical 
Account:   October,  1628,  Narratives  of  New  Netherland: 

"On  the  north  side  are  the  English  Brownists  who 
maintain  themselves  very  well  and  are  much  resorted 
to,  supporting  their  reputation  bravely  with  the 
natives,  whom  they  do  not  fear,  having  acted  strictly 
with  these  from  the  first,  and  so  continuing. 

"In  the  beginning  of  this  year,  war  broke  out  be- 
tween the  Maikans  near  Fort  Orange  and  the  Maku- 
aes,  but  these  beat  and  captured  the  Maikans  and 
drove  oif  the  remainder  who  have  settled  towards  the 
north  by  the  Fresh  River,  so  called  j  where  they  begin 
again  to  cultivate  the  soilj  and  thus  the  war  has  come 
to  an  end." 

The  fourth  statement  is  found  in  the  Docuuientary  His- 
tory of  Nezv  York,  Vol.  1,  page  542: 

"The  limits  of  New  Netherland,  as  clainied  then, 
would  be  from  Cape  Hindlopen,  on  the  south,  to  Cape 
Cod,  on  the  east,  including  therein  Long  Island,  situ- 
ate right  in  front  of  New  Netherland,  whence  it  is 
separated  by  an  arm  of  the  sea,  called  the  East  river, 
which  begins  at  Coney  Island,  in  the  North  bay  of  the 
North  river,  and  runs  again  into  the  sea  at  the  east- 
ward, near  Fisher's  Island,  opposite  the  Pequatoos 
ri\-er,  together  with  all  other  bays,  rivers  and  islands 
situate  westward  of  Cape  Cod,  and  especially  the 
island  named  Quetenis,  lying  in  Sloop  bay,  which  was 
purchased,  paid  for  and  taken  possession  of  in  the 
year  1637,  on  the  Company's  account." 


4  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Fifth,  we  have  the  statement  found  in  the  Masachusetts 
Historical  Society  Collections y  Series  1,  Vol.  1  (1811), 
page  271: 

"The  lands  of  the  aforesaid  river  named  Conecticott 
or  Sicagothe  were  bought  and  possessed  anno  1633  by 
the  servants  of  the  high  and  mighty  of  the  comaunder 
of  the  Sickenamais  named  Nepaquate  as  Conquerer 
and  Subduer  of  the  foremencioned  land  and  that  by 
special  Intreaty  and  Consent  of  the  Right  subdued 
owners  of  the  nation  present  by  and  consent  of  Cap- 
taine  Awayas  of  our  Comaunder  or  Sachem  of  Schal- 
ope  bay  which  with  large  articles  as  by  Credable  Testi- 
mony Witnessing  the  deed  may  appear:  and  that  long- 
before  the  English  had  ben  upon  the  River." 

The  sixth  statement  is  from  the  Narratives  of  New 
Netherlands  1647: 

"About  the  same  time  (June,  1637)  the  Indian  title 
to  the  Island  of  'Quotenis,'  near  the  'Roode  Island,' 
in  Narragansett  Bay,  was  secured  for  the  West  India 
Company,  and  a  trading  post  was  established  there, 
under  the  superintendence  of  Abraham  Pieterson. 
Not  long  afterwards,  Pieterson  obtained  for  the  com- 
pany the  possession  of  another  island,  lying  near  the 
Pequod,  or  Thames  River,  which  for  many  years  after 
the  settlement  of  Connecticut  by  the  English,  con- 
tinued to  be  known  as  'the  Dutchman's  Island.'  " 

The  above  evidence  led  me  to  examine  the  remains  of 
this  little  fort  at  Charlestown  with  the  keenest  interest.  It 
measures  practically  two  hundred  feet  square.  There  are 
three  bastions,  the  five-sided  shape  of  which  is  very  unusual. 
We  can  find  no  such  shaped  bastions  in  any  of  the  books 
on  fortifications  which  we  have  been  able  to  locate.  That  the 
walls  and  bastions  were  built  at  one  and  the  same  time  is 
apparent  when  the  wall  itself  ends  at  three  of  the  corners 


NOTES  RKGARDIXG  THE  ORIGIN  OF  FORT  NINIGRET  5 

to  allow  of  an  entry  into  the  bastion.  The  fourth  side, 
which  is  nearest  towards  the  embankment  of  Charlestown 
Pond,  did  not  need  a  bastion,  and  on  digging,  we  found  no 
evidence  of  one  ever  having  been  there. 

From  the  oldest  living  inhabitant  of  that  vicinity,  a  Mr. 
Church,  we  found  that  the  present  lines  of  the  fort  were 
pretty  much  as  he  had  known  them  from  boyhood  up  to 
anci  long  before  the  marking  of  the  site  by  the  State  Com- 
mission in  the  year  1881.  Mr.  Church  told  us  that  the 
entrance  to  the  fort  was  on  the  south  side  near  the  south- 
east corner.  On  digging  through  the  wall,  which  was  evi- 
dently a  restoration  by  the  Commission,  we  found  that  the 
original  wall  had  never  been  built  across  an  apparent  gate- 
way. From  this  gateway,  there  led  a  diagonal  path,  south- 
west, to  an  ever-living  spring  which  still  furnishes  the 
water  for  an  adjoining  dwelling.  This  spring  is  just  above 
the  high  water  mark. 

Along  this  path,  which  is  outside  the  walls  of  the  fort, 
we  found  some  of  our  most  interesting  relics,  both  Indian 
and  Dutch,  among  which  were  a  pair  of  knitting  needles 
and  a  very  much  rusted  Jews'  harp,  which,  as  everyone 
knows,  is  one  of  the  trinkets  the  Dutch  used  in  trading  with 
the  Indians.  One  piece  of  pottery  was  found  along  this  trail, 
which  compared  with  several  of  the  more  interesting  pieces 
found  more  nearly  in  the  center  of  the  fort  on  the  inside. 

Now  in  order  to  find  the  construction  of  the  fort,  we  ran 
transverse  ditches  on  its  eastern  side.  This  we  did  from  the 
bottom  of  the  ditch,  which  surrounded  the  fort  on  all  four 
sides,  through  to  the  inside  level  of  the  ditch,  and  here  we 
obtained  a  very  interesting  picture  of  what  the  fort  origi- 
nally looked  like.  The  builders  first  laid  two  parallel  walls 
of  glacial  field  stone  about  two  feet  apart.  To  the  back  of 
the  inside  walls  of  stone  were  then  driven  posts  of  unknown 
height,  which  could  hardly  be  called  palisadoes,  the  re- 
mains of  which  we  found  insitu  in  the  earth.  Of  these 
decayed  posts,  which  were  circular,  we  found  clear  evidence 
that  the  grain  of  the  wood  ran  in  the  perpendicular,  prov- 


O  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

ing  them  to  be  upright.  Back  of  that,  however,  on  the 
inside  was  the  evidence  of  planks  laid  transversely,  whether 
to  hold  these  posts  together  or  to  form  a  platform  on  the 
inside,  it  is  hard  to  say. 

The  next  step  in  regard  to  the  construction  of  the  wall 
was  to  excavate  a  ditch  with  sufficient  width  so  that  the  earth 
would  be  thrown  over  the  whole.  The  most  amazing  dis- 
covery at  this  point  was  that  the  wall,  itself,  as  far  as  the 
earth  was  concerned,  had  been  raised  between  two  feet,  six 
inches  and  three  feet  at  some  later  date.  We  should  say  in 
both  instances  the  grass  mould  was  of  the  same  age.  So  if 
the  fort  goes  back  to  the  date  we  assign  to  it,  1627,  there 
would  be  nearly  as  much  decayed  roots  forming  clay  as  on 
the  original.  Whether  that  means  that  the  walls  of  the  fort 
were  raised  halfway  between  1627  and  1927,  or  the  present 
date,  is,  of  course,  problematical,  or  whether  a  Dutch  fort 
had  been  erected  upon  a  previous  fort.  The  nearest  answer 
to  this  problem  is  that  the  walls  had  eroded  at  some  time 
since  the  fort  was  first  built  and  had  been  restored. 

Mr.  Church  told  us  that  there  was  a  line  of  stones  on  top 
of  the  fort  which  were  taken  away  by  the  Commission. 
Unfortunately,  Mr.  Church  is  the  only  living  man  to  give 
us  any  testimony  as  to  what  the  fort  looked  like  before  the 
Commission  took  it  over,  but  following  his  statements,  we 
found  him  apparently  truthful  in  every  way.  As  for  a  man 
eighty-eight  years  old,  his  mind  is  quite  clear  and  his  recol- 
lections were  in  more  or  less  detail.  For  instance,  we  were 
looking  for  a  block-house  in  the  center  of  this  fort,  if  it  was 
built  in  1 627,  for  in  1616  we  have  the  record  of  the  dimen- 
sions of  the  original  Dutch  Fort  Nassau  on  Castle  Island 
in  the  Hudson  River  opposite  the  present  Albany,  New 
York.  These  notes,  translated  froin  the  Dutch,  are  as 
follows: 

"Fort  Nassau  was  fifty-eight  feet  wide  between  the 
walls  and  built  as  a  square.  The  moat  is  eighteen  feet 
wide." 


FRAGMENTS   OF   A   BLUE   AND   WHITE    PLATE    ORNAMENTED 
WITH   LETTER  "r" 

Unearthed  at  Fort  Siuigrct 


8  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

It  is  further  noted  that  the  house  in  the  fort  was  thirty- 
eight  feet  long  and  twenty-six  feet  wide.  However,  on 
digging  all  around  the  marker  boulder,  erected  by  the  State 
Commission  when  the  fort  was  taken  over  as  a  park  by  the 
State  of  Rhode  Island,  we  found  no  direct  evidence  of  a 
building  which  might  have  had  a  chimney,  and  Mr.  Church 
assured  us  that  in  his  lifetime  there  never  had  been  such  a 
central  building.  On  the  other  hand,  just  outside  to  the 
north  of  the  artificial  mound  in  the  center,  containing  the 
boulder  marker  of  the  site,  we  found  the  circular  depression 
which  we  took  to  possibly  be  a  well.  We  hired  an  experi- 
enced man,  Mr.  Babcock,  an  Indian,  who  had  for  forty 
years  been  digging  wells  in  the  various  house  sites  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  fort  on  Charlestown  Pond. 

When  we  started  to  dig  about  this  circular  depression, 
we  at  first  immediately  thought  we  had  discovered  a  well. 
There  were  laid  in  a  circular  form,  about  four  feet  in  diam- 
eter, three  layers  of  field  stone.  Beneath  this,  however, 
these  circular  layers  of  stone  ceased,  although  we  dug  to  a 
matter  of  twelve  feet,  and  would  have  expected,  if  we 
found  the  bottom  of  the  well,  to  have  gone  to  at  least 
twenty-five  feet.  We  found  no  further  positive  evidence 
that  this  circular  wall  of  stones  continued  on  down.  How- 
ever, at  nine  and  a  half  feet,  we  became  sure  that  there  had 
been  some  excavation  here  and  that  it  had  been  filled  up 
with  boulders  and  glacial  sand  and  gravel,  of  which  the 
whole  Point  is  composed.  At  the  nine  and  a  half  feet  level, 
we  found  several  stones  which  showed  signs  of  fire  and  to 
one  side  of  which  stones  adhered  a  layer  of  clay.  Inasmuch  as 
there  was  no  clay  anywhere  in  the  pit  dug  down  to  twelve 
or  more  feet,  we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  these  stones 
were  out  of  some  chimney  which  at  one  time  or  another  had 
been  erected  on  the  place  and  that  the  well,  if  it  had  been  a 
well,  had  been  partly  covered  and  filled  in  as  far  as  the  rocks 
which  had  formerly  been  a  chimney  are  concerned.  Beyond 
this,  there  was  no  evidence  that  there  had  ever  been  a  block- 


NOTES  RF.GARDIXG  THK  ORIGIN  OF  FORT  NINIGRKT  y 

house  and  no  woodwork  except  the  back  side  of  the  rampart, 
all  of  which  was  in  an  entirely  decayed  conciition. 

The  live-sided  bastions  w^ere  not  macie  like  the  main 
walls.  They  were  made  of  stone,  much  of  it  flat  stone  laid 
one  above  another  anci  thoroughly  covered  with  earth.  The 
corners  of  the  bastions  are  clearly  niarked.  The  interior  of 
the  bastions  w^re  shallow  indentures  in  which  men  could  lie 
for  defense  of  all  the  four  sides  of  the  fort,  shooting  paral- 
lel to  the  main  wall.  The  same  under  surface  was  found 
in  these  bastions  as  in  the  inside  of  the  fort,  itself.  As  we 
had  nothing  further  to  guide  us — the  pits  that  were  dug 
were  of  various  shapes  and  sizes — we  had  to  trust  more 
or  less  to  luck  to  And  anything  that  would  give  us  evidence 
of  the  age  of  the  structure  itself. 

We  thought  for  some  time  there  had  been  a  pathway  on 
the  east  side  down  to  the  oyster  beds  at  the  foot  of  the  steep 
bluff  on  which  the  fort  stands  in  the  harbor  itself.  Digging 
into  this  slight  depression,  we  found  that  this  w^as  merely 
a  drainage  erosion.  From  the  main  path,  digging  all  along 
the  rectangle  of  stones,  upon  which  the  marker  stone  in  the 
center  of  the  fort  stands,  we  found  some  of  our  most  inter- 
esting relics.  Besides  bits  of  pottery,  we  found  iron  imple- 
ments of  various  sorts,  including  a  badly  eroded  shovel, 
axes,  and  curious  w^edges,  which  must  have  been  a  very  early 
form  of  toniahawk. 

The  writer  made  a  personal  visit  a  short  time  ago  to  the 
great  museum  at  Fort  Ticonderoga,  the  site  of  so  many  of 
the  early  French  and  American  wars.  As  Ticonderoga  was 
not  built  before  1  756,  it  was  not  surprising  to  And  that  none 
of  the  iron  implenients  were  of  the  same  form  as  those 
found  at  Fort  Ninigret.  Pieces  of  very  old  iron  which 
looked  like  knives  or  daggers  were  found,  as  were  the  frag- 
ments of  pottery  at  an  average  depth  of  three  and  a  half 
feet  underground.  Very  little  of  any  kind  was  found  above 
three  feet.  One  of  the  best  authorities  in  Connecticut,  Mr. 
Bull,  passed  on  these  findings  and  stated  that  no  such  iron 
had  been  found  in  the  early  shell  heaps  along  the  shores  of 


10  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

the  Sound  between  the  Pawcatuck  River  and  the  river 
towns  of  Connecticut.  In  these  same  excavations,  he  had 
found  Jews'  harps  and  other  Dutch  trading  relics. 

Now  we  were  fortunate  to  find  a  great  number  of  broken 
clay  pipes.  On  a  number  of  these  pipes  were  the  initials  of 
the  maker.  I  think  we  can  say  we  have  from  six  to  eight 
separate  specimens.  We  are  expecting  to  send  these  to  Hol- 
land because  we  understand  that  the  early  pipe  manufac- 
turers of  Holland  put  their  initials  on  their  pipes.  These 
pipes  are  of  at  least  five  different  shapes  and  sizes.  We 
found  a  number  of  specimens  of  trading  copper,  made  of  an 
alloy,  known  to  have  been  used  by  the  Dutch  in  trading 
with  the  Indians.  We  also  found  soapstone  Indian  pipes 
with  native  copper  bands.  We  found  specimens  of  linen 
and  of  what  we  believe  to  be  trading  cloth.  It  will  take 
chemical  tests  to  ascertain  the  proportion  of  woolen  or 
linen  in  any  of  these  fragments. 

Our  greatest  find,  in  our  humble  estimation,  was  three 
fragments  of  a  fairly  large  platter  which  we  at  first  thought 
were  parts  of  a  Delft  Dutch  tile,  but  which  on  examination, 
and  being  finally  able  to  fit  the  three  fragments  together, 
we  found  the  whole  outline  of  a  plate,  on  the  top  side  in  a 
circle  of  blue  and  white  was  the  letter  "R,"  a  little  over  an 
inch  and  a  quarter  in  diameter.  In  addition,  we  found 
another  fragment  of  pottery  in  blue  and  white  where  the 
blue  lines  were  parallel  in  a  waving  pattern.  We  found 
other  small  fragments  of  blue  and  white  pottery,  none  of 
which  were  large  enough  to  give  us  a  true  line  on  them.  We 
found  old  glass  in  large  amounts,  one  piece  of  which  was 
evidently  a  part  of  a  tumbler  as  it  was  ornamented  in  yellow 
and  red  bands,  burnt  into  the  glass. 

At  our  request  the  United  States  Government  sent  Col- 
onel F.  M.  Morgan  from  Fort  Adams  in  Newport  harbor 
to  assist  us  in  attempting  to  find  the  age  of  the  fort  from  the 
soil.   Over  the  entire  inside  of  the  fort  for  a  depth  of  from 


NOTES  RKCARniXC  THE  ORK.IN  OF  FORT  NIMGRKT  11 

six  inches  to  two  feet  and  more  was  a  heavy  black  mould 
w^hich  we  haci  presumeci  was  leaf  mould.  Colonel  Morgan, 
after  an  examination  of  all  of  our  pits,  told  us  it  was  grass 
mould  rather  than  leaf  mould.  The  old  writers,  describing 
the  Narragansett  Country  in  this  vicinity,  all  state  it  was 
more  or  less  park  like  and  we  note  that  the  Indians  kept  it 
burned  over.  We  found  no  evidence  down  to  three  or  four 
feet  in  our  excavation  which  would  lead  us  to  believe  that 
trees  of  any  size  ever  stood  on  this  Point. 

One  of  the  striking  results  of  our  excavation  was  that, 
while  we  found  a  great  number  of  objects,  all  of  which 
tended  to  be  Dutch  in  character,  or  at  least  foreign  imple- 
ments, w^e  found  only  less  than  half  a  dozen  arrowheads. 
This  is  interesting  from  the  point  of  view  that  in  the  level, 
surrounding  country  of  the  original  Narragansett-Niantic 
Reservation,  one  can  find  arrowheads  everywhere. 

As  you  may  know,  we  have  the  very  pertinent  declaration 
by  Captain  John  Mason  that  he  came  from  Saybrook  Fort 
in  the  summer  of  1637,  and  making  no  mention  of  a  Dutch 
trading  post  or  fort  on  Dutch  Island,  he  lancied  opposite  the 
Narragansetts'  main  village,  eighteen  or  twenty-six  miles 
away.  There  he  spent  the  night  endeavoring  to  obtain  the 
aid  of  the  Narragansett  chieftain  to  assist  him  in  his  attack 
on  the  Pequot  Fort  at  Mystic.  From  there  he  marched  his 
little  army  of  ninety  men  and  followers  over  land  to  a  place 
where  he  said  a  chief,  named  Ninigret,  lived  in  a  fort.  This 
fort  he  surrounded,  warning  none  of  the  Indians  to  come 
out  until  he  was  joined  the  next  morning  by  the  Narragan- 
sett warriors  who  w^ere  to  go  with  him  and  who  persuaded 
Ninigret  to  go  w^ith  them.  With  him,  of  course,  he  had 
Uncas,  chief  of  the  Mohegans,  and  Wequashcook,  a  Pequot 
chieftain  and  brother  of  Ninigret  from  the  Niantic  country 
in  Connecticut.  This  completed  his  Indian  following.  I^'roni 
there  he  marched  twelve  miles  to  the  Pawcatuck  Rixer  and 
so  on  to  take  the  Mystic  fort  by  a  surreptitious  route  from 
the   north.     Historv   tells    us   that    Miantonomo,    Uncas, 


12  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Ninigret,  and  Wequashcook  were  all  leaders  of  this  Indian 
following. 

We  also  made  some  attempt  to  excavate  under  a  house 
from  about  a  half  to  three-quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  west  of 
the  fort.  Eight  or  nine  years  ago  in  digging  for  the  founda- 
tion of  the  house,  there  was  found  a  cannon^  and  a  sword  of 
European  manufacture  lying  about  a  foot  and  a  half  on  top 
of  six  or  eight  Indian  graves.  We  found  the  man,  who 
made  the  excavation  for  this  cellar,  and  he  has  drawn  a  plan 
for  us.  He  told  us  that  there  were  still  other  Indian  graves 
unexcavated  because  the  owner,  Mr.  Arnold,  only  wished 
to  disturb  the  ground  in  a  section  of  a  part  of  the  cellar 
under  this  house,  owned  at  the  present  time  by  his  niece 
and  nephew. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  your  librarian,  we  had  excellent 
photographs  made  of  the  cannon  and  sword  from  all  points 
of  view.  We  took  these  photographs  with  us  to  New  York 
and  had  the  two  best  experts  on  armor,  living  to-day,  give 
us  an  opinion  of  their  age.  One  of  them  showed  us  a  stand 
of  sixty  like  swords,  none  of  which  were  exactly  like  the 
sword  found  under  the  Arnold  house.  This  gentleman 
dated  the  sword  as  at  least  back  of  1600.  However,  at  the 
Metropolitan  Museum,  the  Curator  of  Annor,  Mr, 
Grancsay,  gave  us  as  his  unquestioned  opinion  that  the 
sword  could  well  date  back  to  1 550.  In  each  instance,  both 
gentlemen  declared  the  cannon  to  be  of  a  very  early 
breechblock  type.  In  fact,  the  cannon  could  go  back  to  the 
fifteenth  century.  Now  we  are  convinced  from  walking  all 
over  the  ground  in  the  vicinity  of  Dutch  Point,  Fort  Nini- 
gret,  and  the  old  Indian  Reservation,  that  the  cannon  and 
sword  came  from  the  original  Narragansett  burying 
ground.  Until,  however,  we  find  something  of  like  fashion 
within  Fort  Ninigret  itself,  we  are  hardly  ready  to  say  that 
the  cannon  and  sword  came  from  Fort  Ninigret,  but  we  are 
keeping  in  mind  the  possibility  that  there  were  two  forts  on 


illustrated  in  R.  I.  H.  S.  Coll.  XV,  op.  p.  2+. 


NOTES  RKGARDINC.  THE  ORIGIN  OF  FORT  NINIGRET  13 

Dutch  Neck,  one  built  after  the  other  without  disturbing 
the  first,  so  that  it  very  well  may  be  that  we  may  have  found 
one  of  the  very  early  existing  fortifications  in  America. 
Before  we  make  any  hnal  decision  in  this  matter,  we  feel 
that  whenever  it  is  opportune  that  the  Metropolitan  Park 
Commission  should  set  aside  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  to 
pay  for  excavating  the  entire  interior  of  the  fort  to  a  depth 
of  at  least  four  feet  and,  also,  to  continue  the  w^^rk  of  going 
down  to  the  water  line  of  the  presumed  wtU  inside  the 
center  of  the  fort. 

Now  it  is  a  curious  coincidence  that  the  one  Dutchman, 
who  might  be  responsible  for  this  fort,  was  Isaac  de  Rasier, 
secretary  of  the  Dutch  West  India  Company,  who  came  out 
in  1626-^27  to  investigate  on  behalf  of  the  Company's 
unfortunate  conditions  in  the  government  at  Manhattan. 
He  came,  as  is  well-known,  as  far  as  the  top  of  Buzzard's 
Bay  and  paid  a  call  on  the  leaders  of  the  Plymouth  Planta- 
tion. He  makes  a  clear  statement  that  he  does  not  under- 
stand why  the  authorities  at  Manhattan  have  not  done  more 
to  develop  the  trade  with  the  Indians.  This  letter  was 
w^ritten  in  1627. 

Now  the  initial  of  his  name,  you  will  note,  is  "R".  By  a 
curious  coincidence  the  only  account,  prior  to  1600,  that  we 
have  of  an  exploration  of  the  shores  of  Narragansett  Bay 
and  Rhode  Island,  or  possibly  Long  Island  Sound,  is  of  two 
expeditions,  the  latter  part  of  both  the  accounts  of  which  is 
lost  to  us:  that  is,  after  getting  to  a  certain  point  in  the  story 
of  what  these  two  expeditions  did,  the  manuscript  abruptly 
ends.  This  is  the  account  of  the  third  vox'age  of  Jacques 
Cartier  in  1541 -'42.  He  left  the  port  of  St.  Johns  on  the 
Island  of  Newfoundland  on  June  14th  to  return  to  St. 
Malo  in  France.  He  did  not  arrive  until  sometime  in 
October,  or  at  least  there  is  no  record  of  his  arri\'al  until  late 
in  October.  As  he  was  leaving  the  harbor  of  St.  Johns,  he 
was  met  by  the  second  part  of  his  expedition,  delayed  a 
whole  year.  He  is  met  by  Sieur  de  Roberval,  who  demands 
that  he  stay  and  go  back  with  him  to  Cap  Rouge  on  the 


14  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

St.  Lawrence  River.  This  Cartier  refused  to  do  and  Rober- 
val  goes  on  to  Cap  Rouge  there  to  winter  in  1542-'43. 
Roberval  had  a  remarkable  pilot  for  his  ships,  Jean 
Alfonsce,  and  we  have  a  number  of  accounts,  one  of  which 
is  claimed  to  have  been  written,  or  to  have  been  dictated  by 
Alfonsce,  himself  j  also,  a  number  of  maps  of  the  coast  of 
North  America  from.  Cape  Breton  down  to  Brazil,  Is  there 
by  any  chance  a  connection  between  the  "R"  of  the  plate 
and  the  "R",  the  initial  letter  of  Sieur  de  RobervaPs  name, 
the  leader  of  this  expedition?  However,  between  1543  at 
the  end  of  the  year  and  the  return  of  Roberval,  there  is  a 
sudden  stop  in  RobervaPs  separate  account  of  the  expedi- 
tion. In  both  instances,  these  narratives  end  abruptly  just 
at  the  time  we  would  like  to  know  what  they  were  doing  in 
those  five  or  six  months  of  their  departure  from  New 
France  and  their  return  to  Old  France. 

From  1 543  to  1 600,  we  now  have  a  number  of  narratives 
and  many  hints  that  the  French,  Norman,  and  Basque 
sailors  came  to  our  shores  of  New  England.  Let  us  give  you 
one  instance.  Going  back  to  the  first  Dutch  map  of  1616, 
there  is  marked  on  this  map:  at  Fort  Nassau  on  the  upper 
Hudson  River: 

"By  as  far  as  one  can  understand  by  what  the 
Maquaas  say  and  show,  the  French  came  with 
sloops  as  high  up  as  their  country  to  trade  with 
them." 

Now  by  no  understanding  could  these  French  traders  have 
reached  the  Mohawk  or  upper  Hudson  via  the  Richelieu 
River  and  Lake  Champlain  and  Lake  George.  Such  French 
visits  would  have  been  made  up  the  Hudson  River.  As  a 
further  proof,  we  have  Andrew  Thivet's  clear  statement 
that  before  1 556  he  visited  a  French  fort  twelve  leagues  up 
the  Hudson  River  so  that  there  is  a  bare  chance  that  the 
French  may  have  had  something  to  do  with  this  fort  in 
which  we  are  so  much  interested. 

Now  I  have  given  you  the  above  as  a  stranger  who  has  no 


NOTES  REGARDING  THE  ORIGIN  OF  FORT  NIXIGRET  15 

background  of  the  Narragansett  Country's  history  but  what 
he  has  obtained  by  research.  All  of  the  known  English 
voyages  after  1600  do  not  describe  the  Charlestown  Pond 
country  although  Gosnold  in  1602  built  a  little  fort  on 
Cuttyhunk  Island.  There  can  be  no  confusion  between  Fort 
Ninigret  and  a  possible  fort,  all  signs  of  which  are  obliter- 
ated, on  the  little  island  in  the  pond  on  Cuttyhunk. 

We  would  very  much  like  to  have  it  understood  that  our 
only  conclusions  are  at  this  time  that  there  is  a  real  pos- 
sibility that  the  Dutch  built  Fort  Ninigret  sometime  after 
1627  and  before  1630  and  that  it  was  abandoned  by  them 
when  their  trade  was  destroyed  by  the  long  Four  Years 
War  between  the  Pequots  and  the  Narragansett  Indians. 
In  consequence,  because  of  the  silting  up  of  the  harbor  of 
Charlestown  Pond,  the  Dutch  when  they  returned  in  1637 
established  themselves  by  purchase  on  a  much  safer  situa- 
tion: namely,  Dutch  Island.  The  main  Dutch  trade  had 
always  been  up  the  Hudson  River.  No  other  trade  any- 
where was  comparable  with  it. 

In  1624  the  Dutch  attempted  to  colonize  the  Fort  of 
Good  Hope  on  the  Connecticut,  presumably  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  Fort  Nassau  on  the  Delaware,  and  Fort 
Orange  on  the  Hudson,  where  previously  in  1 623  they  had 
erected  little  trading  forts.  Two  years  later  under  Peter 
Minuit,  all  these  three  sets  of  colonists  were  by  order 
returned  to  Manhattan  Island  where  a  much  more  preten- 
tious stone  fort,  to  be  named  Fort  Amsterdam,  was  in  the 
process  of  construction.  Very  shortly  after.  Fort  Nassau  on 
the  Delaware  was  destroyed.  What  became  of  this  first 
little  fort  on  the  Connecticut  is  unknown  to  us. 

There  seems  a  fair  probability  that  Isaac  de  Rasier  either 
built  this  Dutch  fort  on  Dutch  Neck  near  Charlestown 
Pond  or  occupied  an  earlier  fort  about  which  some  day  we 
may  have  more  particulars.  In  the  meantime,  while  await- 
ing the  result  of  a  particular  search  of  the  records  of  the 
seaports  of  the  Basque  Provinces  in  Spain  and  France,  much 
might  be  ascertained  if  a  thorough  investigation  of  the 


16  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

ground  within  and  adjoining  Fort  Ninigret  was  undertaken 
under  scientific  methods  of  exploration. 

Since  setting  down  the  above  incidents,  connected  with 
our  search,  we  have  shown  the  broken  blue  and  white  plate 
with  the  letter  "R"  in  its  center  to  the  best  American 
authority  on  Delft,  Mr.  Hans  Middlekoopf,  of  New  York 
City.  Mr.  Middlekoopf  at  once  declared  it  to  be  very  early 
Dutch  Delft.  Through  fifty  years  of  experience  in  handling 
nothing  but  Dutch  antiques  and  ceramics,  Mr.  Middle- 
koopf, born  in  Holland,  may  be  termed  an  authority.  From 
specimens  in  his  private  collection  of  Delft,  obtained  forty 
or  more  years  ago,  he  showed  the  writer  the  characteristics 
of  early  Delft,  dating  from  their  origin  from  the  Spanish 
occupation  of  Holland  between  1 545  and  1 574.  The  Span- 
iards brought  with  them  their  own  pottery  and  established  a 
majolica  ware  out  of  which  the  Dutch  evolved  the  later 
Delft.  These  fragments  of  the  platter,  Mr.  Middlekoopf 
declared  without  hesitation  to  have  been  made  in  the  first 
quarter  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

Summing  up  then,  we  have  the  quasi  evidence  that  here 
in  the  vicinity  of  this  fort,  or  within  the  fort,  itself,  have 
been  found  a  cannon,  dating  back  to  the  fifteenth  century,  a 
sword,  dating  back  to  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
and  pottery  dating  back  to  the  first  quarter  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  together  with  iron  implements,  used  evi- 
dently in  trade,  of  such  a  nature  as  never  have  been  dug  up 
in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  United  States. 


New  Publications  of  Rhode  Island  Interest 

An  Ethnic  Survey  of  Woonsocket,  Rhode  Island,  by  Bes- 
sie Bloom  Wessel,  1931,  290  pages. 

Progranune  of  Celebrations  in  Connnenioration  of  the 
Two  Hundredth  Anniversary  of  the  Founding  of  Scituate, 
Rhode  Island,  1931 ,  with  many  illustrations  of  old  houses. 


/. 


These  candlesticks  and  candles  were  used  at  a  ball  given  in  honor  of 
George  Washington  at  Hacker's  Hall  in  Providence,  on  August  18,  1790, 
during  the  brief  visit  of  Washington  to  the  city. 

In  the  Society'' s  Museum. 


18  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Rope  Yarns  from  the  Old  Navy  by  Rear  Admiral  Caspar 
F.  Goodrich,  New  York,  1931,  Naval  History  Society,  Vol. 
XI,  contains  a  chapter  relating  to  the  Naval  Academy  at 
Newport,  R.  I.  in  1861. 

The  Bulletin  of  the  Newport  Historical  Society  for 
October,  1931,  contains  an  article  on  the  Bull  family, 
written  by  Henry  Bull  who  died  in  18-1-1. 

The  New  England  Quarterly  for  October,  1931,  con- 
tains two  articles  of  Rhode  Island  interest:  "Cotton  and 
Williams  Debate  Toleration"  by  Henry  B.  Parkesj  and 
"Aaron  Lopez,  Merchant  of  Newport,"  by  Bruce  M.  Bige- 
low. 


Notes 

The  following  persons  have  been  elected  to  membership 
in  the  Society: 

Mr.  Charles  H.  Keyes  Mr.  Webster  Knight 

Mr.  William  T.  Peck  R.  F.  Haffenreffer 

An  account  of  George  Washington's  visits  to  Providence 
by  Howard  W.  Preston  will  be  found  in  the  RJiode  Island 
Historical  Society  Collections  for  October,  1926. 


19 


ry^   ^f^-      </.^^«^       ,,.^      >*«^     ^^^^^<^^   ,      /^/^  ^^^-^  ^-ytfrl'-f*^ 


Letter  from  Martha  Washington  containing  a  lock  of 
George  Washington's  hair. 

In  the  Society''s  Museum. 


20  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Revolutionary  Orders  of  1780 

{Original  Manuscript  o-'ucned  by  Frederick  S.  Peck.) 

Details  of  a  Detachment  from  Col.  Clinton's  Regiment  to 
get  aid  immediately  August  4th  1780. 

1  Serjeant  1  Corporal  15  privates 

1  Capt.  1  Serjeant  1  Corporal  20  privates 

From  Capt  Carrs  Company  For  the  Boat  Service. 

After  Orders  Augst.  4th  1780. 

Genel.  Stanton  is  to  take  immediate  Conimand  at  Butts 
Hill. 

Genel.  Miller  at  Bristol  both  to  do  all  in  their  power  For 
mutual  Support  of  all  the  Posts. 

The  Adjutant  &  Quart.  Mastr.  Genel.  to  Remain.  A  fre- 
quent communication  to  be  had  with  the  Major  Genel.  as 
he  will  give  orders  in  urgent  Cases  but  not  for  matters  of 
the  Post. 

Troops  in  Bristol  are  to  be  in  as  good  Order  as  possible  to 
Cross  the  Ferry  upon  Alarm  or  Otherwise  if  orderd. 
Seven  Hundred  men  to  Cross  to  Butts  Hill  as  Soon  as  possi- 
ble, provisions  &  other  Stores  to  be  Sent  to  Butts  Hill  from 
Bristol  as  Occasion  may  Require. 

Six  of  the  Horse  from  papasquash  to  be  Sent  to  Genel. 
Heath  &  Four  to  Genel.  Stanton  as  expressed. 

General  Orders  Bristol  x-\ugust  4th  1780. 

The  General  is  very  much  Surprised  to  heare  Such  a  hreing 
of  guns  in  Camp  it  is  not  only  a  waste  of  ammunition  but 
very  unsoldierlike  he  therefore  orders  every  oiicer  to  take 
notice  and  Confine  any  Soldier  that  may  discharge  his  gun 
in  Camp  at  the  main  Guard  where  he  may  Depend  on  being 
punished  as  Such  Disobedience  of  orders  deserves  the  Boat 


Rr-:VOLUTIOXARV  ORDERS  OF  1780  21 

Guard  at  Bristol  ferry  is  to  draw  from  the  Commissary  at 
3  oClock  this  after-Noon  half  a  pint  of  Rum  pr  man  and 
all  the  other  Troops  at  this  post  are  to  draw  a  gill  pr  man 
to  be  delivered  to  the  Order  of  the  Commanding  Officers 
of  Regiments  or  Detachments. 

Details  for  Guard 

the  Guard  to  be  furnished  from  Colo.  Peck's  Regiment  to 

Consist  of  1  Sub.  2  Serjt.  2  Corporals  21  privats. 

the  Several  Brigades  will  also  furnish  from  their  Artillery 

officers  and  Matrosses  in  the  following  proportion. 

\'iz.  Holdens  1  Lt,  1  Serjt.  1  Corporal  9  Matrosses 

Stantons  1  Serjt.  1  Gunner  7  Matrosses 

Lippet  1  Capt.  1  Serjt.  1  Corporal  1  Drum  1  Gun  1  fife 

3  Matrosses 

Miller  1  Corporal  5  Alatrosses. 

The  Commanding  officers  of  Regiments  and  Independent 
Companies  will  Direct  that  the  ammunition  and  Camp 
furniture  to  be  Returned  into  the  Publick  Stores  reserving 
sufficiently  for  the  officers  and  men  furnished  by  the  Re- 
spective Corps  those  who  are  f  urloughd  will  not  be  intild  to 
pay  nor  Rations  during  their  absence  the  officers  and 
Soldiers  Remaining  on  the  Ground  may  Rest  assured  that 
they  will  be  relieved  within  twehe  da\s  time  Capt.  General 
Returns  both  officers  and  men  his  warmest  acknowledg- 
ments the  Se\'eral  Brigades  and  independent  Companys  at 
this  Post  with  Pri\'ates  in  the  Field.  Near  the  meeting 
House  at  half  after  Six  oClock  tomorrow  morning  and  the 
Troops  at  Butts  Hill  Praid  at  9  oClock. 
Bristol  Head  Quarters  6th  August  1780. 
His  Excellency  the  Capt.  General  hathe  Directed  that  the 
Number  of  Officers  and  men  in  the  Several  Brigades  and 
independent  Companys  to  Remain  on  Duty  be  furnished 
ea  the  following  proportion 


22  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Viz. 

Genel.  Holdens  Brigade  1  Major  1  Capt.  3  Subs,  5  Serjts. 
5  Corporals  2  iifs  1  Drum  and  99  Privates.   General  Stan- 
tons  Brigade  1  Lt  Colo.  2  Capts.  5  Subs  6  Serjents  6  Corp- 
orals 2  Drums  2  fifs  and  1  59  Privas. 
Lippets  Brigade  Capt.  Sub.  Serjt.  Corp.  Drums  Hfs.  Priva. 

Millers 

Independent  Companies  under  Command  of  Colo.  Day 
Capt.  Sub  Serjents  Corp  Drum  tifs  Privats. 

1        2  3  3  1        1        57 

Exclusive  of  the  above  Number  of  officers  and  Soldiers 
from  the  Several  Brigades  the  following  proportion  from 
their  Respective  of  Horse  are  to  be  furnished  first 


3 

5 

7 

7 

3 

2 

213 

2 

3 

6 

6 

2 

2 

94 

Holdens  Do 

Sub 
1 

Corpl. 
1 

Trumpets 
1 

5  Privats 

Stantons  Do 

1 

Serjt. 
1 

1 

1 0  Privats 

Lippets  Do 

Capt 
1 

1 

Corpl. 
1 

1 2  Privats 

Millers  Do 

1 

5  Privats 

Head  Quarters  August  5th  1780 
Middletown. 

Generl.  Varnum  Considering  the  very  busy  Season  of  year 
and  the  Length  of  time  the  Troop  of  the  Rhode  Island  line 
had  been  on  the  Ground  at  the  Respective  posts  and  from 
their  Patience  and  assistance  in  every  kind  of  Duty  being 
fully  Persuaded  that  they  will  Court  Danger  with  eager- 
ness Should  an  attack  be  made  by  the  Enemy  is  Disposed  to 
give  them  every  indulgence  in  his  Power  the  Generals  hav- 


REVOLUTIONARY  ORDERS  OF  1780  23 

ing  therefore  Consulted  with  the  Brigades  of  the  Line  and 
Receiving  orders  of  his  Excellency  the  Governor  will  grant 
furlows  to  a  large  portion  of  theni  upon  Condition  that  they 
agree  among  themselves  who  shall  be  the  Persons  to  obtain 
the  Priviledge  the  Commanding  Officers  of  Corps  will  be 
instructed  in  what  Proportion  the  furlows  shall  be  Given 
and  upon  application  to  the  Major  General  they  Shall  be 
given  accordingly  But  is  Expected  that  Leave  of  absence 
will  not  prevent  any  from  immediately  Returning  when  the 
Signal  Shall  be  given  of  the  Enemies  approach. 
Copy  Jno  Handy  Aid  De  Campe. 

Note.  These  orders  were  issued  in  connection  with  the  military 
manoeuvTes  resulting  from  the  appearance  of  the  British  fleet  off  Narra- 
gansett  Bay,  sometimes  referred  to  as  the  alarm  of  July,  1780. 


Captain  John  Rous,  R.  N. 

{^Continued  jroni  vol.  XXIV ,  p.  170) 

Illustrative  Documents  selected  from  the  Rouse  Papers, 
recently  presented  to  the  Societv  by  G.  Andrews  Moriarty, 
F.  S.  A. 

I 

DEED  TO  JOHN   ROUSSE 

On  xA.ugust  31,  1743,  Samuel  Vernon  and  Ann  Sanford 
both  of  Newport,  R.  L,  shopkeepers,  executors  of  the  last 
will  and  testament  of  Samuel  Vernon,  late  of  said  New- 
port, Esq'",  deceased,  for  700  pounds  currant  money  of  the 
colony  old  tenor,  deeded  to  John  Rousse  "Two  Certain 
Lotts  of  Land  adjoyning  together  and  both  together  con- 
taining in  the  Front  upon  the  Street  One  Hundred  and 
Nineteen  feet  be  the  Same  more  or  less  and  Extending 
from  saici  Street  Easterlv  into  the  Cove  or  Salt  Water  and 


24  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

are  the  Ninety  Seventh  and  Ninety  Eighth  Letts  in  Num- 
ber of  the  first  Division  of  an  allotment  of  a  Tract  of  Land 
called  Eastons  Point  Situate  lying  and  being  in  the  Town 
of  Newport  aforesaid  of  which  Jacob  Mott  and  Thomas 
Cornel  of  Portsmouth  and  William  Barker  and  Samuel 
Thurston  of  Newport  all  in  the  Colony  of  Rhode  Island 
Yeomen  were  Original  Proprietors  Both  said  Lotts  as  they 
lie  together  are  bounded  as  followeth  Viz\  Westerly  upon  a 
Street  Easterly  upon  the  Cove  or  Salt  Water  Northerly  on 
the  thirty  Second  Lott  and  Southerly  on  the  One  hundred 
and  Sixty  first  Lott  of  said  Division  of  sd  Allotment  Or 
however  otherwise  the  Same  may  be  butted  and  bounded  or 
Reputed  to  be  butted  and  bounded  Reference  being  had  to 
the  Lotters  Return  together  with  the  Map  or  Platts  of  sd 
Allotment  may  fully  Appear  Together  with  the  Dwelling 
House  thereon  and  all  other  the  Buildings  Wharf  Improve- 
ments Rights  Profits  Priviledges  and  Appurtenances  to  the 
Same  belonging  or  in  any  wise  appertaining  To  have  and  to 
hold  the  said  Granted  and  Bargained  Premisses  with  all  the 
Rights  Profits  Priviledges  &  Appurtenances  to  the  same 
belonging  or  in  any  wise  appertaining  unto  him  the  said 
John  Rousse  his  Heirs  and  Assigns  for  ever  to  his  &  their 
own  sole  proper  use  Benefits  and  Behoof  for  ever  To  be 
holden  of  the  said  Jacob  Mott  Thomas  Cornel  William 
Barker  &  Samuel  Thurston  Proprietors  as  aforesaid  and 
their  Heirs  as  of  the  Manner  of  fee  farm  in  free  and  Com- 
mon Soccage  by  fealty  only  in  lieu  of  all  Service  it  being 
Seated  and  Improved  according  to  Regulation  Yielding  & 
Paying  therefore  to  the  said  Jacob  Mott  Thomas  Cornel 
William  Barker  &  Samuel  Thurston  the  said  Proprietors 
and  to  the  Survivers  &  Surviver  of  them  &  to  the  Heirs  & 
assigns  of  the  Survivers  &  Surviver  of  them  at  or  upon  the 
twenty  fifth  Day  of  the  first  Month  called  March  in  every 
Year  at  or  near  the  Town  of  Newport  aforesaid  for  ever  the 
full  and  just  Sum  of  Forty  Shillings  in  Currant  Passable 
Money  of  New  England  as  shall  Pass  from  Time  to  Tiine 
at  the  Yearly  Payments  and  as  the  said  Jacob  Mott  Thomas 


CAPTAIX  ROUS,  R.  N.  25 

Cornel  William  Barker  &  Samuel  Thurston  the  Survivers 
and  Surviver  of  them  or  the  Heirs  or  Assigns  of  the  Survi- 
vers &  Surviver  of  them  and  so  always  from  Time  to  Time 
as  their  said  Heirs  or  assigns  or  the  Survivers  or  Sur\'i\'er  of 
them  shall  further  Impower  by  Dispositions  to  Person  or 
Persons  or  to  the  Survivers  or  Surviver  of  them  or  to  the 
Heirs  or  Assigns  of  the  Survivers  or  Surviver  of  them  the 
said  John  Rousse  his  Heirs  Exec'^  Admin",  or  Assigns 
shall  yield  and  pay  therefore  to  such  Person  or  Persons  so 
appointed  and  Impovvered  to  accept  in  the  Tenor  above  suc- 
cessi\'ely  from  Time  to  Time  the  Sum  of  forty  Shillings  as 
above  the  said  Service  at  or  upon  the  Day  first  above  pre- 
fixed in  every  Year  at  or  near  the  Town  of  Newport  afore- 
said for  ever  And  We  the  Said  Samuel  \^ernon  and  Ann 
Sanford  for  our  Selves  our  Heirs  Exec".  &  Admin".  Do 
Covenant  Promise  &  Grant  to  &  with  the  said  John  Rousse 
his  Heirs  &  Assigns  that  at  &  before  the  Ensealing  hereof 
we  have  good  Right  full  Power  and  Lawfull  Authority  to 
Grant  Bargain  and  Sell  all  the  above  Granted  &  Bargained 
Premisses  in  Manner  as  abovesaid  And  that  the  said  John 
Rouse  his  Heirs  &Assigns  shall  and  may  from  Time  to  Time 
and  at  all  Times  for  ever  hereafter  by  force  Virtue  of  these 
sd  Presents  Lawfully  Peaceably  and  quietly  have  hold  Use 
Occupy  Possess  and  Enjoy  all  the  above  granted  &  Bar- 
gained Premisses  free  and  Clear  &  freely  &  clearly  acquitted 
exonerated  &  Discharged  of  &  from  all  Incumbrance  what- 
soever ( the  above  mentioned  Yearly  Rent  or  Service  of 
forty  Shillings  thereout  Issuing  to  the  Proprietors  their 
Heirs  &  assigns  for  ever  only  excepted)." 

Note:  This  ciocument  shows  the  form  of  a  colonial  deed 
for  land  in  which  the  original  proprietors,  or  their  suc- 
cessors, retained  an  interest  to  the  amount  of  a  small  annual 
payment.  For  reference  to  obsolete  forms  of  early  land 
tenure  and  transfer,  see  R.  I.  H.  S.  C.  XII,  p.  65,  The 
Tene})ient  on  Conhnicut,  and  R.  I.  H.  S.  C.  XXIII,  p.  1, 
Foreclosure  of  Alortgage  by  Suit  of  Trespass  and  Eject- 
ment. 


26  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

II 

A  FLAG  OF  TRUCE  PASS. 

Rhode  Island  to  wit. 

By  the  Honble  Gideon  Wanton  Esqr.  Governor  Capt. 
General  &  Commander  in  Chief  in  &  over  the  English 
Colony  of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations 
in  New  England. 

To  all  to  whom  these  Presents  shall  come  Greeting. 

FORASMUCH  as  it  is  the  Usage  and  Custom  of  Nations 
at  War  to  exchange  such  Prisoners  as  the  Parties  take  from 
each  other  And  to  that  End  the  Subjects  &  Vessels  of  one 
Prince  are  by  Way  of  Truce  admitted  into  the  Territories  & 
Ports  of  the  Prince  with  whom  he  is  in  Enmity.  And  as 
there  are  several  of  the  Subjects  of  the  French  King  &  the 
King  of  Spain  now  Prisoners  of  War  in  this  Colony  who  are 
desirous  to  be  exchanged.  Now  to  the  End  such  an  Ex- 
change may  be  made  for  the  Reciprocal  Advantage  of  those 
who  by  the  Fortune  of  War  have  been  deprived  of  their 
Liberty.  Be  it  known  &  manifest  that  I  the  said  Gideon 
Wanton  in  the  name  of  my  Sovereign  Lord  George  the 
Second  by  the  Grace  of  God  King  of  Great  Britain  &c.  do 
hereby  Authorize  &  Impower  John  Rousse  Master  of  the 
Sloop  Sarah  of  the  Burthen  of  Forty  five  Tons  or  there- 
abouts to  take  on  Board  said  Sloop  all  the  Subjects  of  the 
French  King  &  the  King  of  Spain  that  are  Prisoners  of  War 
in  this  Colony  &.  such  others  as  he  may  find  else  where  with 
all  Stores  &  Necessaries  that  the  Voyage  may  require  &  with 
them  proceed  directly  to  the  Island  of  Hispaniola  with  a 
Flagg  of  Truce  &  there  deliver  up  said  Prisoners  &  receive 
such  English  Prisoners  as  shall  be  given  in  Exchange  for 
them  or  such  other  Prisoners  as  have  been  heretofore 
released  without  Consideration  by  this  Colony  since  the 
present  War  with  France  &  Spain.  And  I  do  hereby  strictly 
Inhibit  &  Forbid  the  said  John  Rousse  to  take  on  Board  any 


CAPTAIN  ROUS,  R.  N.  27 

Military  Force  or  Warlike  Stores  not  doubting  that  the 
Supream  Officer  there  &.  all  whom  it  doth  or  may  Concern 
will  grant  him  all  due  &  lawful  Assistance  and  Protection  & 
also  according  to  the  Established  Custom  supply  him  with 
all  Neccessaries  (that  the  Voyage  may  require )  sufficient  for 
the  bringing  such  English  Prisoners  into  their  own  Country. 
And  I  do  also  desire  &  request  all  Commanders  of  \^essels 
of  Force  &  others  that  may  meet  said  Sloop  on  its  Passage 
either  going  or  returning  to  exempt  said  Sloop  &  the  People 
thereof  from  all  manner  of  Force  and  Constraint  according 
to  the  Laws  of  Nations.  And  that  the  Truth  hereof  may  be 
Established  I  set  my  Name  and  cause  the  Seal  of  the  Colony 
aforesaid  to  be  affixed  hereunto  at  Newport  in  said  Colony 
the  Eighteenth  Day  of  November  in  the  Year  of  our  Lord 
One  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty  seven  And  Twenty 
first  of  the  Reign  of  my  Sovereign  aforesaid 


Gid:  Wanton 

Sealed  with  the  Seal  of  the  Colony  aforesaid 
By  Order  of  his  Honor  the  Governor 
Tho  Ward  Secry 

Note.  A  flag  of  truce  pass  or  commission  was  issued  to  the  captain 
of  a  vessel  to  allow  him  to  proceed,  exempt  from  capture,  between  the 
port?  of  two  hostile  countries  in  order  to  effect  the  exchange  of  prisoners 
of  war.  The  vessel  was  usuallv  called  a  flag  of  truce.  A  certificate  show- 
ing that  the  flag  of  truce  carried  no  contraband  was  also  issued.  A  certifi- 
cate of  this  sort,  which  is  in  the  library  of  the  Rhode  Island  Historical 
Society,  was  printed  in  Mass.  Hist.  Soc.  Coll.  vol.  69,  p.  78. 


Ill 

THE  WILL  OF  JOHN  ROUSSE 

In  the  Name  of  God  Amen 

The  Seventh  Day  of  April  in  the  twenty  second  \"ear  of  his 
Majesty's  Reign  George  the  second  King  of  Great  Britain 


28  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

&c.  Annoqe  Dom:  1749  I  John  Rousse  of  Newport  in  the 
County  of  Newport  &  Colony  of  Rhode  Island  Mariner 
being  well  in  Body  and  of  perfect  Mind  and  Memory 
Thanks  be  given  unto  God  But  calling  to  Mind  the  Mortal- 
ity of  my  Body  and  knowing  That  it  is  appointed  for  all  Men 
once  to  die  Do  make  and  Ordain  this  my  last  Will  and  Tes- 
tament That  is  say  Principally  and  first  of  all  I  Give  and 
Recommend  my  Soul  into  the  hands  of  God  that  gave  it 
and  my  Body  I  Commit  to  the  Earth  to  be  decently  buried 
at  the  Discretion  of  my  Executrix  herein  after  mentioned 
and  as  touching  such  Worldly  Estate  wherewith  It  haths 
Pleased  God  to  bless  me  in  this  Life  I  Give  and  Dispose  of 
the  same  in  the  following  manner  &  form: 

IMPRIMIS  I  Will  that  all  my  just  Debts  &  Funeral 
Charges  be  well  and  truly  Paid  in  some  convenient  Time 
after  my  Decease. 

ITEM  I  Give  &  Bequeath  unto  my  Wife  Jane  Rousse  the 
Use  &  Improvement  of  all  my  Estate  both  Real  and  Per- 
sonal for  &  during  the  Time  she  shall  remain  my  Widow, 
which  shall  be  in  Lieu  of  her  Thirds  of  my  Estate. 

ITEM  I  Give  Devise  and  Bequeath  into  my  Son  Thomas 
Rousse  and  my  two  Daughters  Jane  Rousse  &  Sarah  Rousse 
all  my  Estate  whatsoever  both  Real  and  Personal  to  be 
Equally  divided  amongst  them  and  to  be  Enjoyed  by  them 
their  Heirs  and  Assigns  forever  at  the  Decease  or  Marriage 
of  my  said  Wife  that  which  shall  first  happen. 

LASTLY  I  Nominate  Constitute  and  Appoint  my  said 
Wife  Jane  Rousse  to  be  my  Executrix  of  this  my  last  Will 
and  Testament  And  I  do  hereby  Utterly  Disallow  Revoke 
and  Disannul  all  and  every  other  Wills  Legacies  Bequests 
and  Executors  by  me  at  any  Time  heretofore  made  named 


29 


30  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Willed  or  Bequeathed  ratifying  allowing  and  Confirming 
this  &  no  other  to  be  my  last  Will  &  Testament  In  Witness 
whereof  I  have  hereunto  Set  my  hand  &  Seal  the  Day  & 
Year  first  above  written. 

John  Rousse 

Signd  Seald  &  Declard  by  the 

said  John  Rousse  to  be  his  last  Will 

&  Testament  in  the  presence  of  us 

William  Broughton 

Thomas  Wevar 

William  Allin 

{To  be  continued) 

Bowen  Family  Notes 

By  Charles  Shepard 

In  the  Heraldic  Notes  on  the  Bowen  family,  printed  in 
the  Collections  for  July,  1931,  pages  132-133,  the  state- 
ment is  made  that  Dr.  Richard  Bowen,  father  of  Jabez,  was 
"son  of  Thomas  Bowen  of  Salem,"  who  was  son  of  Richard 
Bowen  of  Rehoboth.  Following  the  statement  in  Savage's 
Geneological  Dictionary  of  New  England,  Thomas  Bowen 
of  Salem  is  frequently  confused,  as  here,  with  the  contem- 
porary Thomas  of  Rehoboth  and  New  London,  and  snice 
the  latter  was  a  direct  ancestor  of  that  branch  of  the  Bowen 
family  which  was  most  prominent  in  Rhode  Island,  a  few 
notes  on  the  two  Thomases  may  not  be  amiss. 

Thomas  Bowen  of  Essex  County,  Mass.,  who  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Marblehead  and  previously  may  have  lived  at 
Salem,  appears  frequently  in  the  printed  Records  and  Files 
of  the  Essex  County  Quarterly  Courts.  As  nearly  as  can 
be  estimated  from  his  conflicting  ages  stated  at  different 
times,  he  seems  to  have  been  born  about  1621-25,  and  at 


BOWEN  FAMILY  NOTES  31 

least  as  early  as  1 646  he  had  a  wife  Elizabeth  who  was  about 
the  same  age.  About  1645  he  had  been  a  servant  of 
Devereux.  In  1642  he  testified  in  court  at  Salem,  which  is 
the  earliest  record  of  him  that  1  have  yet  found. 

The  printed  court  records  further  show  that  his  wife 
Elizabeth  was  alive  as  late  as  1662,  while  Thomas  himself 
was  still  living  at  Marblehead  in  1681.  Pope's  Pioneers 
states  that  adminstration  was  granted  on  his  estate  in  1  705. 
He  seems  to  have  had  children,  but  I  have  never  had  an 
opportunity  to  follow  this  branch  of  the  family  further  than 
enough  to  make  certain  that  he  was  a  different  man  from 
Thomas  of  Rehoboth. 

The  other  Thomas  Bowen,  the  father  of  Dr.  Richard 
Bowen,  was  apparently  the  youngest  of  the  four  known  sons 
of  the  elder  Richard  Bowen  of  Rehoboth,  who  was  buried 
there  in  February  1674/5.  It  is  reasonable  to  guess  that  he 
was  born  about  1633,  so  that  he  was  nearly  if  not  fully  ten 
years  younger  than  the  other  Thomas  of  Marblehead.  He 
moved  to  New  London,  apparently  about  1657,  was  living- 
there  in  1662,  and  still  owned  his  land  in  New  London 
when  he  made  his  will  in  1663,  having  then  returned  to 
Rehoboth  where  he  apparently  died.  His  will  may  be  found 
in  the  Mayflower  Descendant  for  1914,  vol.  16,  page  128, 
and  that  of  his  father  is  printed  in  vol.  1 7,  at  page  247. 

No  record  has  been  discovered,  so  far  as  I  am  aware, 
which  identifies  this  Thomas  of  Rehoboth  in  any  way  with 
Salem  or  any  other  place  in  Essex  County.  Confusion  be- 
tween the  two  men  of  the  same  name  has  been  easy,  espe- 
cially since  both  had  wives  of  the  same  name,  Elizabeth.  The 
widow  of  the  Rehoboth  Thomas  married  Samuel  Fuller  of 
Plymouth.  Her  identity,  long  sought,  is  apparently  still 
unknown,  though  it  has  been  suggested  without  proof  that 
she  was  a  Brewster.  My  own  guess  is  that  Thomas  Bowen 
met  and  married  his  wife  Elizabeth  during  his  years  at  New 
London,  and  that  further  research  should  be  among  the 
Connecticut  records,  rather  than  among  those  of  the  Brew- 
sters  or  other  Massachusetts  families. 


32  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

A  most  promising  clue  (printed  in  the  Fuller  genealogy 
of  1910,  page  185  )  is  the  power  of  attorney  of  1667  from 
Elizabeth  Fuller  of  Plymouth,  sometime  wife  of  Thomas 
Bowen,  late  of  Rehoboth,  and  Samuel  Fuller  of  Plymouth, 
to  their  brother-in-law  John  Prentice  of  New  London, 
blacksmith,  to  sell  Thomas  Bowen's  land  in  New  London. 
Thorough  research  upon  the  ramifications  of  the  Prentices  of 
New  London,  by  the  Bowen  and  Fuller  descendants  of  the 
elusive  Elizabeth,  might  yield  rich  rewards  in  authentic 
information.  Apparently  it  has  never  been  attempted  by 
them. 

As  I  am  compiling  a  genealogy  of  the  Bowen  family, 
with  special  though  not  exclusive  reference  to  the  descend- 
ants of  Richard  Bowen  of  Rehoboth,  I  would  appreciate 
information  on  this  family  from  any  sources,  especially 
entries  from  famih'  Bibles  and  data  from  other  private 
records. 

Since  the  heraldic  tombstone  of  Jabez  Bowen  has  recently 
been  described  in  the  Collections  for  July,  it  may  be  espec- 
ially appropriate  at  this  time  to  mention  the  family  tradition 
that  the  same  coat-of-arms  was  cut  on  the  tombstone  of  the 
immigrant  Richard  Bowen  of  Rehoboth,  buried  February, 
1674/5.  Search  in  recent  years  has  failed  to  find  any  trace 
of  the  stone.  Any  further  information  tending  to  show  that 
the  traditional  stone  either  did  or  did  not  exist,  would  be 
welcome. 


Roger  Williams  Press 


RJW 


E.  A.  Johnson  Co. 


PROVIDENCE 


WASHINGTON 
EXHIBITION 

February  15  to  21 


1932  • 


^^ 


In  conimemonitioii  of  the  Washington 
bicentennial  the  Rhode  Island  Historical 
Societ\'  will  hoJci  a  hjan  exhibition  of 
objects  relating  to  George  Washington, 
during  the  week  of  February  15  to  21, 
19.^2,  at  the  Society's  building. 


Rhode    Islaind 

Historical  Society 
Collections, 


Vol.  XXV 


APRIL,  1932      ^'^      ; 


WASHINGTON    CAVALRY 


Issued  Quarterly 


See  page  33 


68  WateIm^an  Street,  Providence,  Rhode  Island 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Washington  Cavalry  ....       Cover  and  33 

Queen's  Fort     .......  34 

Stony  Fort          .          .          .          .          .          .          ,  37 

New  Publications  o£  Rhode  Island  Interest   .          .  37 

Notes .  39 

Petacom's  Deed  of  1667 40 

Extracts  from  Rhode  Island  Gazette,  1732   .          .  41 

Inciian  Pottery  .          .          ...          .          .          .  45 

Shipping  Manuscript            .....  46 

General  Washington  at  Little  Rest, 

by  William  Davis  Miller      ....  47 

Dorr  War  Flags         .          .          .          .          .          .  53 

Treasurer's  Report     .          .          .          .          .          .  61 


RHODE 
HISTORICAL 


ISLAND 


SOCIETY 


\  OL.  XXV 


COLLECTIONS 


April,  1932 


No.  2 


William  Davis  Miller,  President   Gilbert  A.  Harrington,  Treasurer 
Howard  W.  Preston,  Secretary  Howard  M.  Chapin,  Libraria?t 


The  Society  assumes  no  responsibility  for  the  statements  or  the  opinions 
of  contributors. 


The  Washington  Cavalry 

The  illustration  upon  the  cover  of  this  number  of  the 
Collections  is  reproduced  from  a  water  color  sketch  origi- 
nally belonging  to  the  family  of  Cyrus  PVench,  the  hatter 
of  Little  Rest.  The  subscription  states  that  it  represents 
"A  Model  of  the  Washington  Cavalry."  The  colors  of  the 
original  are  as  follo\vs:  hat,  blacky  coat,  red  with  brown^ 
facings,  white  buttons  (probably  metal )  j  waistcoat,  buff; 
breeches,  fawn;  boots,  black.  The  saddle  cloth  would 
appear  to  be  dark  olive  with  white  strips  on  the  border. 

The  Washington  Cavalry  was  chartered  by  the  Assem- 
bly in  the  June  session  of  1792.  The  incorporators  were: 
John  Gardiner,  Rowland  Brown,  Henry  Potter,  Samuel 
Helme,  Samuel  E.  Gardiner,  Robert  Potter,  Jr.,  Christv 


^It  is  believed  that  red  coat  was  later  replaced  with  one  of  blue  with 
buff  facings  but  this  cannot  at  present  be  verified. 


34  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Potter,  John  Segar,  Adam  Helme,  Jonathan  Hazard,  Jr., 
John  Potter,  Jr.,  Peter  B.  Hazard,  Jeremiah  N.  Sands, 
Griffin  Hazard,  Jeremiah  N.  Potter,  Francis  Hazard,  Rob- 
ert G.  Sands,  Rowland  W.  Hazard,  William  Perry,  Nich- 
olas Hazard,  Nathanial  Mumford,  Thomas  H.  Hazard, 
John  Gardiner,  Jr.,  and  Gideon  Hazard. 

It  was  enacted  that  the  rank  and  hie,  exclusive  of  officers, 
should  not  exceed  sixty-five  and  that  "the  said  Company 
shall,  at  their  own  Expense,  equip  themselves  with  suitable 
Cloathing,  Arms  and  other  Accoutrements  .  .  ." 

The  first  officers  were:  John  Gardiner,  captain  j  Rowland 
Brown,  first  lieutenant ^  Henry  Potter,  second  lieutenant 
and  Samuel  E.  Gardiner,  cornet. 

The  Washington  Cavalry  coiitinued  its  existence  until 
some  time  during  the  year  1841  when  it  was  evidently 
disbanded,  there  being  no  further  records  regarding  it 
after  that  date. 

W.  D.  M. 


More  About  Queen's   Fort 

(Continued  from  \  ol.  XXI \,  p.  141) 

The  following  items  are  printed  from  photostat  copies 
in  the  Society's  library. 

Sidney  S.  Rider,  in  letter  to  Hazard  Stevens,  November, 
1898,  said: 

"In  the  matter  of  the  Queen's  Fort,  or  Wilkie's  Fort,  of  which  vou  ask, 
I  have  made  some  investigations,  and  there  are  but  few  references  to  it  in 
the  early  writings  and  never  under  either  of  these  names.  The  Queen's 
Bed  Chamber  is  some  what  difficult  of  access  some  agility  is  required  both 
to  get  in  and  get  out  again.  It  is  about  7  feet  in  height  and  will  hold  about 
20  men. 

"The  Indian  'Engineer,'  who  designed  the  'Fort'  was  the  same  one 
who  planned  the  defences  of  the  Island  on  which  was  the  Fort  in  the 
Great  Swamp  Fight" 


queen's  fort  35 

James  N.  Arnold,  iii  PeJi  Pii/nres  of  Narragansett  His- 
tory y  said: 

"  ]'hc  Queen's  Red  Chamber  consists  of  a  square  opening  in  a  solid 
rock,  and  partl\'  covered  Avith  a  tiiin  stone.  Here  in  this  rock-bound  scene 
lived  the  widowed  Queen,  Magnus.  Her  dominions  stretched  awav  to  the 
southward  along  the  banks  of  a  river  that  still  bears  her  title  Queen.  Over 
a  tract  of  several  thousand  acres  this  woman  held  an  undisputed  swav.  This 
fact  is  interesting  from  its  proving  that  the  Narragansctt  Indians  did  look 
after  the  welfare  of  their  women,  and  provided  means  of  support  for  them 
after  their  hunter  had  been  taken  from  them." 

[ames  N.  Arnold,  in  letter  to  Hazard  Stevens,  Decem- 
ber 2,  1898,  said: 

"The  name  (Wilkie  Fort)  came  from  the  first  English  owner  of  the 
land  purchasing  from  the  Committee,  this  being  a  part  of  the  vacant 
lands.   (55   Potter) 

"Along  the  Queen's  River  from  its  source  to  its  union  with  the  Usque- 
paug  was  set  aside  for  the  use  and  support  of  the  squaw  sachem,  and  a 
guard  of  24  warriors  was  detailed  for  this  purpose,  to  guard  and  protect 
her.  Her  name  was  Magnus.  She  was  the  widow  of  Meikie,  the  son  and 
heir  of  Canonicus,  who  was  head  of  the  nation.  Magnus'  cieath  under  the 
circumstances  was  tragic.  She  was  taken  prisoner  bv  the  Connecticut  troops 
in  Phillip's  war,  carried  to  Connecticut  and  put  to  death. 

"The  source  of  the  Queen's  River  is  a  spring  on  the  south  side  of  this 
cluster  of  stones. 

"You  may  judge  how  much  of  a  tract  her  hunters  rambled  over  when 
you  take  the  distance  from  here  to  Usquepaug. 

"You  observed  on  the  west  side  of  these  rocks  there  is  a  patch  of  sand. 
It  was  at  this  spot  that  the  corn  was  taken  Nov.  27,  167  5  (See  Potter). 

"Starting  from  the  west  side  you  crossed  some  rocks  and  there  came  a 
break  and  then  the  great  cluster.  The  chamber  is  well  towards  the  west 
part  of  this  last  clump  of  stones. 

"There  is  a  large  flat  stone  that  covers  the  entire  chamber  and  tits  very 
close  except  on  the  south  side  which  gives  an  opening  of  about  two  feet  in 
height  and  the  width  of  the  chamber  in  length.  The  chamber  itself  is 
about  1  0  feet  square  and  about  six  feet  in  the  clear. 

"I  could  reach  the  ceiling  with  my  hands  when  I  was  in  it.  The  room 
is  verv  square  and  Well  proportioned.  I  am  really  sorry  you  did  not  find  it 
but  if  one  is  not  very  careful  he  is  apt  to  go  by  it. 

"There  is  lots  of  tradition  about  the  sheep  stealers  that  one  time  made 
this  their  rendezvous  and  also  plenty  of  stories  about  the  insane  hermit 
Revnolds  all  of  which  would  write  up  quite  a  respectable  magazine  article. 
Perhaps  some  time  I  might  do  this." 


0'! 


■\ 


♦ .  ^ 


^,*     .w. 


j^xorrf/iiQ-fo  1kc 


;  ntduyifiouf.ond 


f. 


'/ 


uc*- 


d  oi 


^'•'^ ,  r  c  r> 


c,«^, 


/:< 


.v^ 


.^ 


^^ 


J 


oXoi^ 


^ 


L^\ 


I 


6'  ><^l  O". 


r=^ 


^-    9/  Wd^r'rn  low 


^ri <"  -5  >rtjf5.    N^ 


^^  v^  y 


"S 


M 


2  :^ 


x^ 


■t. 


X:f 


/■ 

-  A 


V*' 


v^- 


if' 


'oa'^ 


SKETCH  OF  QUEEN  S  FORT  BY  WILI.ARD  KENT 

From  pliotosti.it  in  the  Society^s  library. 


37 


Stony  Fort 

The  document  containing  a  reference  to  Stony  Fort,  that 
was  printed  in  R.  I.  Hist.  Soc.  Coll.,  vol.  Ill,  p.  407,  and 
mentioned  in  vol.  XXIV,  p.  149,  is  recorded  in  R.  1.  Land 
Evidences,  vol.  II,  p.  200. 


New  Publications  of  Rhode  Island  Interest 

Poto-ii-oj/uty  an  illustrated  historical  pamphlet  of  26 
pages  by  Anna  M.  M.  Lawrence. 

Some  Further  Papers  Relating  to  King  Philip's  War,  a 
pamphlet  of  14  pages  issued  by  the  Society  of  Colonial 
Wars  in  Rhode  Island,  1931,  contains  reprints  of  three  doc- 
uments in  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society  Library. 

Earthquake  Dan/age  and  Earthquake  Insurant  ti^  by  John 
R.  Freeman,  which  contains  an  account  of  the  earthquakes 
that  have  occurred  in  Rhocie  Island. 

7/7  Praise  of  Antiquities,  an  address  by  Norman  M. 
Isham,  published  by  the  Walpole  Society. 

A  genealogy  of  the  de  Chappotin  family  of  Rhode 
Island  appears  in  the  Selden  Ancestry  (pages  270-291) 
which  was  published  at  Oil  City,  Penna.,  in  1931. 

The  Ne-zi'  Enghnul  Quarterly  for  January,  1932,  con- 
tains an  article  on  "Rhode  Island's  First  Court  of  Admir- 
alty" by  Marguerite  Appleton,  and  on  "Student  Interest  at 
Brown  1780-1790,"  based  on  the  contemporary  letters  of 
Brown  students. 

The  New  England  Hist,  and  Gen.  Reg.  for  January, 
1932,  contains  an  article  on  the  Littlefield  Family  of  Block 
Island  by  G.  Andrews  Moriarty,  Jr. 

George  W ashi}igto}i  and  Rhode  Island^  by  John  Wil- 
liams Hale\',  is  an  illustrated  pamphlet  of  40  pages,  pub- 
lished b\-  the  State  of  Rhode  Island.    ■ 


38  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

The  article  by  Richard  Holden  Tingley  in  The  Sports- 
man for  January  1932,  entitled  Qyeat  Rains  of  Little 
Fishes  refers  to  the  rain  of  fish  at  Providence  in  1900 
which  was  described  at  length  in  the  Providence  Journal 
of  xMay  16,  1900. 

The  second  volume  of  the  Sullivan  Papers,  1778-1779, 
which  is  volume  14  of  the  Neve  Hampshire  Historical 
Society  Collectio}is,  contains  much  of  Rhode  Island  inter- 
est, as  these  papers  and  letters  relate  to  the  period  that 
General  Sulli\'an  spent  in  Rhode  Island.  Indeed,  this  vol- 
ume might  well  be  considered  a  source  book  on  one  phase 
of  Rhode  Island's  part  in  the  American  Revolution. 

The  Sandvcich  Papers,  just  published  as  volume  69  of 
the  Publications  of  Navy  Records  Society,  London,  1932, 
contains  several  references  to  Providence,  Newport,  Rhode 
Island,  and  the  Gaspee  affair.  The  following  item  on  page 
1 73  IS  interesting: 

"You  will  please  observe  this  bav  runs  30  miles  up  into  the  country  to 
a  town  called  Providence,  through  which  place  all  the  provisions  came 
for  the  supply  of  the  rebel  army  at  Boston;  and  it  being  navigable  for 
men-of-war  sloops  and  even  frigates  all  the  wav  up  to  Providence,  we 
might  (had  we  possession  of  it)  cut  off  the  supplies  from  the  rebel  armv 
at  Boston,  and  from  Connecticut  it  would  be  extremelv  difficult  in  the 
winter  for  them  to  be  supplied. 

"The  town  of  Providence  might  easih'  be  kept  possession  of  from  its 
situation,  having  a  river  on  the  left  and  a  hill  on  the  right  which  runs 
along  the  back  of  the  town.  Providence  is  near  a  mile  long,  having  but 
one  street  along  the  river  side,  and  lays  nearh'  north  and  south.  At  the 
south  end  of  the  town,  there  is  a  river  runs  east  and  ioins  to  Providence 
River,  which  makes  a  high  point  up  to  which  it  is  alwavs  navigable  along 
the  town  and  from  Newport  and  Rhode  Island,  from  whence  our  troops 
could  easily  be  supplied  with  provisions." 

Washington's  Visits  to  Rhode  Island,  by  Howard  \V. 
Preston,  enlarged  and  reprinted  froni  the  RJiode  Island 
Historical  Society^ s  Collections,  October,  1926,  is  an  illus- 
trated pamphlet  of  28  pages  published  as  number  5  of  the 
Historical  Publications  of  the  Rhode  Island  State  Bureau 
of  Information. 


39 


Notes 


The  following  persons  ha\e  been  elected  to  membership 
in  the  Societv: 


Mr.  W.  F.aston  Louttit,  Jr. 
Prof.  William  T.  Hastings 
Mr.   Dexter  L.  Lewis 
Mr.  Clarence  E.  Sherman 
Mrs.  John  W.  Holton 
Mr.  Richard  LcB.  Bowen 
Mrs.  Edwin  A.  Cady 
John  E.  Donley,  ALD. 
Mrs.  Charles  C.  Stover 
.Mr.  T.  Robley  Louttit 
Mrs.  Mahel  B.  Comstock 
Mr.  Charles  Owen  Ethier 


Mrs.  C.  Oliver  Iselin 
Mr.  William  E.  Brigham 
Mrs.  William  E.  Brigham 
Mrs.  Richard  Rathbone  Cjraham 
Mr.  Kenneth  D.  MacColl 
Mr.  Howard  L.  .\nthon\' 
Miss  Mary  A.  Jack 
Miss  Eleanor  B.  Cireen 
Mr.  William  C.   |ohnson 
Mr.  Emilio  X.  Cappelli 
Mr.  Edmund  H.  Parsons 
Mrs.  S.  H.  Cabot 


The  need  for  a  new  building  for  the  Society  is  as  urgent 
now  as  it  was  last  year,  and  it  is  hoped  that  sonie  public- 
spirited  Rhode  Islander  wnll  donate  or  bequeath  the  funds 
necessary  for  a  new  building  or  for  the  adequate  enlarge- 
ment of  our  present  building. 


40  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


f>l''</»    a   ^TnaS  fr^l:    Ct>rA.Txiehl  (^  irQ-  0'^^t  *^'^  ^'<rio^l^.^C^  ct^i^t^:^  .. 
f\nti<^t  and  rTtl-(&--   arv:/ A/a^m;-- 4-/uM.^7  <m    fxrimc    a»ii/ >TV»»^■>le1.    occcftj^a  fKxf»«vCj- 


(~>ya^rtrr\ar<    hoik    liam  *-A<:e^    t-rmc-     ,>.ff?\e^ierr,h<mex}   ^^hyxxt    ■^^ujtvfi-v.t^yL    f>oS^t6r/'\.'\.-^ 


An  Unrecorded  Indian  Deed  of   1667. 

From  (jriginal  u:anuscript  ozincd  by  Mis.  R.  S.  Richmond. 


41 


Extracts  from  the  Rhode  Island  Gazette 

Since  the  publication  in  the  Collections  of  October, 
1923  (page  103),  of  the  items  of  local  interest  that 
appeared  in  the  Rhode  Island  Gazette  of  1732,  four  more 
issues  of  the  Gazette  have  been  located.  These  copies  were 
mentioned  by  Hammett  in  his  Bibliography  of  Nev:porl 
(1887),  but  were  not  located  by  subsequent  bibliographers. 
Through  the  courtesy  of  their  present  owner,  Mr.  Edward 
A.  Sherman  of  Newport,  we  are  able  to  print  the  items  of 
local  interest  in  these  issues. 

RJiode  Island  Items 

NEWPORT    JAN.    11,    1733 

On  the  3()th  past  ciy'd  Abraham  Borden  Esq;  General 
Treasurer  of  this  Colony,  after  a  few  Days  Illness. 

On  P'riday  last  was  drawn  the  Lottery  set  forth  by  Mr. 
Isaac  Anthony.  The  House  and  Land  fell  to  Mr.  Josias 
Tendon,  Jun.  and  three  or  four  n^iore  considerable  Prizes 
to  others  of  this  Place. 

Custom  House  Ne-vcport.   Entered  Inwards. 

Coatts  from  Boneary.  Out-'jcard  Bounds  None.  Cleared 
Outy  Coggeshall  and  Norton  for  Suranam,  and  Ladd  for 
Barbadoes. 

A  D  \'  E  R  T  I  S  E  M  E  N  T 

No.  1 3  of  this  Paper  concludes  a  Quarter.  Those  who 
have  taken  it  from  the  Beginning,  are  desir'd  to  pay  their 
Money  to  John  Franklin  of  Boston,  or  James  Franklin  of 
Newport;  the  Continuance  of  it  depending  on  punctual 
Quarterly  Payments,  or  a  greater  Nuniber  of  Subscribers. 

N.  B.  A  good  Correspondence  is  settled  lor  supplying 
this  Paper  with  P\)reign  and  Domestick  Affairs,  as  well  as 


42  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Speculations,  and  may  be  better  carryed  on  than  hitherto  it 
has  been  if  a  farther  Encouragement  is  given. 


NEWPORT    JAN.    25 

Custo))!  House  Newport.   Entered  Inwards. 

Wickham  from  St.  Christophers,  and  Wilkinson  from 
Boneary.  Outwad  Bound.  Coatts  for  Leward-Islands. 
Cleared  out.  Brinn  for  Affrica,  Wickham  for  St.  Chris- 
tophers, and  Beaucham  for  Leward  Islands. 


ADVERTISEMENTS 

To  be  sold  by  Mrs.  Nearegrass,  at  her  Shop  in  Newport, 
a  valuable  Parcel  of  Books,  consisting  of  Divinity,  History, 
Law,  Physick,  Plays,  &c.  most  of  them  new,  and  well  board. 

N.  B.  They  will  be  sold  very  cheap,  the  said  Nearegrass 
designating  to  leave  off  the  Business  of  Book-selling. 

(Advertisements  are  repeated  from  the  issues  of  Dec.  21 
and  Jan.  1 1 ) 


N  E  W  P  O  R  T    F  E  B.    2  2 

We  hear  from  Narraganset,  That  a  Son  of  Mr.  Green 
(whose  House  was  burnt  at  Warwick,  as  mention'd  in  one 
of  our  late  Papers )  had  the  Misfortune  to  Lose  lately  by 
Fire  his  House,  Shop  and  Corn  Crib.  'Tis  said  nothing  was 
sav'd  but  part  of  the  Corn  in  the  Crib.  And,  That  a  Bridge, 
a  Mill,  and  a  Forge  were  last  Week  broke  down  and  carry 'd 
away  by  the  Ice  coming  down  Pautucket  River. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  RHODE  ISLAND  GAZETTE  43 

The  issues  of  February  22  and  March  1  are  torn  so  that 
only  part  of  the  ad\-ertisements  remain. 

They  read: 

A  D  ^^  E  R  T  I  S  E  M  E  N  T  S. 

All  Persons  who  have  given  Notes-r 

port,  for  his  Lottery  Tickets, 

This  is  to  give  Notice  that 

George  Dunbar  Esq ;  is  put 

which  Time  it  is  not  doubted 

NEWPORT    MARCH    I 

We  hear  above  50  \'essels  were  blown  off  the  Coast  of 
New  England  the  last  Winter,  and  arrived  in  the  West 
Indies.  Capt.  Elliot,  who  was  blown  off  to  Antigua  in  his 
Passage  from  this  Place  to  Boston,  is  arrived  at  Martha's 

Vineyard.  A  Sloop  blown  off, Sears  Master,  is  arri\''d 

here. 

Custom  House  Nezi'port.   Entered  Inwards. 

\'encent  from  \'irginia,  Dyre  and  Sears  from  Eustaria, 
Gullin  from  Hispaniola,  and  Waters  from  Boston.  Out- 
■zi'ard  Bounds  Briggs  for  Barbados.  Cleared  Out^  Bell  for 
Barbados,  Linsey  for  Leward  Islands,  and  Frame  for 
.Antigua. 

A  D  y  E  R  T  I  S  E  M  E  N  T  S. 

THIS  is  to  give  Notice  to  all  Persons  whom  it  may  con- 
cern, That  the  Lottery  set  forth  by  John  Dickenson  of 
Wariiick,  is  put  off  to  the  26th  of  April  next,  and  then  to 
be  drawn,  or  sooner,  if  full,  at  Capt.  Gorton'^s  in  Warwick, 
in  the  Colony  of  Rhode  Island;  which  Town  is  almost 
twenty  Miles  nearer  to  Bosto)i  than  Ne-ii'port  is,  and  just 
b\'  said  Dickenson\\  Shop  of  Goods,  which  will  be  very 


-+4  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

handy  for  those  who  draw  Prizes  of  English  Goods  which 
they  do  nor  like,  to  return  them  and  have  them  changed 
for  any  other  Sort  of  English  Goods  which  suit  them  better. 

This  is  likewise  to  give 

Gentlemen  that  have 

of  the  abovesaid,  Le 

a  mind  to  venture 

as  much  entitle 

against 

of  Warw 

-  drawn  in  N 

ting  off  the  g 

Country  is  the 

there  drawn. 

Notice  of  th 

ven  in  the  Publ 

fore. 

To  be  sold,  a  Trace  of 

lying  in  North  Kings 

Mumford,  Jun.  and  well  w 

Newport,  about  60  Feet 

with  a  good  Dwelling  House 

Tenents,  near  the  Prison  Ho 

1 2  Years  of  Age,  and  a  Slo 

Stocks.    Enquire  of  James 

port,  and  know  further  t 

To  be  sold  to  the  hi 

the  Prince's  Head 

Land  belonging  to  it 

Deep,  the  House  abunt 

Rooms  below,  and 

Out-House  fir  for 

Pump  in  it  Thos 

defit'd  to  meet  at 

(Advertisements  from  the  issue  of  Feb.  22  are  repeated ) 


INDIAN    POTTERY 


45 


(^ 


e 


.^* 


r   .li 


Fragments  of  pottery  unearthed  at  Charlestown,  R.  I.,  showing  the 
crude  attempts  at  artistic  adornment  by  early  Narragansett  Indian  potters. 
The  upper  ones  were  found  in  1873  and  the  other  one  in  1921.  Some 
more  pretentious  artistic  efforts  of  the  Indians  are  described  in  the 
R.  I.  H.  S.  Collections  for  July,  1919,  January,  1925,  and  October, 
1926,  but  those  more  pretentious  attempts  were  probably  in  most  cases  not 
the  work  of  local  Rhode  Island  Indians. 


46  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Shipping  Manuscript 

It  is  thought  by  all  concerned,  that  the  A.  M.  had  best 
be  ordered  to  touch  Galinus  &  Cape  Mount,*  and  if  her 
cargo  will  there  purchase  380.  or  400.  and  be  dispatched 
immediately  to  trade  them  and  return — If  such  trade  can- 
not be  made  there,  to  proceed  without  loss  of  time  &  without 
making  any  trade  at  the  windward,  to  the  Gold  Coast,  & 
there  make  the  best  trade  that  can  be  made,  with  as  little 
delay  as  possible,  &  return — If  capt.  B,  thinks  from  the 
information  he  gets  at  Trinidad,  that  the  Cargo  is  not  suffi- 
cient to  put  in  2.  or  3000.  dollars  or  other  things  as  he  may 
think  proper — Enquire  in  whose  name  the  property  of  the 
vessel  stands,  &  what  order  or  power  has  been  given  by  the 
apparent  owner,  for  disbursing  the  proceeds,  among  the 
real  owners. 

When  the  vessel  with  the  Cargo  arrives  off  Trinidad, 
she  will  stand  in  back  of  the  Kacilda  and  set  a  blue  flag  with 
a  white  Ball,  at  the  fore  Top-Gallant  mast-head — If  she 
can  come  in,  answer  with  same  Signal,  and  haul  it  down  and 
up  three  times,  &  then  Keep  it  flying,  if  she  cannot  come  in, 
after  raising  it  three  times,  haul  it  down — The  vessel  off 
will  do  the  same  &  wait  vour  instructions.  (R.  I.  H.  S.  M. 
XVn,  94.) 

Note  —  This  manuscript,  which,  from  the  paper  and 
handwriting,  would  seem  to  date  from  about  the  period  of 
the  War  of  1812,  was  recently  presented  to  the  Society  by 
Mr.  W.  H.  Peck,  together  with  other  papers  relating  to 
the  shipping  business  of  Nicholas  Peck  and  Co.,  of  Bristol, 
R.  I. 


*Cape  Mount,  a  headland  in  Western  Africa  at  6°  46N. 


47 


General  Washinorton  at  Little  Rest 

William  Davis  Miller 

In  a  sketch  of  the  village  of  Little  Rest  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century  and  the  first  few  years  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  the  late  Rev.  J.  Hagadorn  Wells'  in 
describing  the  various  old  houses,  wrote:  "Another  of  these 
ancient  structures  stood  well  back  on  the  northwest  corner,' 
where  it  described  a  quadrant  of  a  circle  into  the  north 
road.  In  my  early  days  it  had  reached  a  state  of  melancholy 
decrepitude,  and  in  the  late  twenties  of  the  last  century  the 
once  noble,  but  then  crazy  old  barrack,  with  all  its  ungra- 
cious vicinage,  was  swept  clean  .  .  .  The  revolutionary 
chapter  of  this  old  mansion's  history  contains  the  most 
of  interest.  At  that  time  it  was  the  residence  of  Col. 
Thomas  Potter'  .  .  .  Colonel  Potter  entertained  General 
Washington  and  his  staff  at  his  residence  when  he  was  on 
his  way  back  to  Newport  after  its  evacuation  by  the  British. 
No  doubt  the  Colonel  accompanied  the  General  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  brilliant  reception  which  awaited  him  there 
by  the  Anierican  and  French  forces.  Colonel  Potter  was 
put  in  command  of  the  garrison  in  the  city^  .   .   .  some 


'This  sketch  was  published  in  The  Grisf,  Rhode  Island  State  College, 
Kingston,  1901,  and  was  entitled  Ye  Ancient  Little  Rest.  The  name 
was  changed  in  1825  to  Kingston. 

"This  is  a  reference  to  one  of  the  four  two  storied  gambrel  roof  houses 
which  formerly  stood  one  on  each  corner  of  the  four  corners  by  the 
village  pump. 

■'Son  of  Ictiabod  and  Deborah  (Re\no]ds)  Potter  born  1738,  died 
1793. 

■"This  is  probably  not  correct.  Thomas  Potter  was  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Commandant  of  the  3rd  Regiment  of  the  King's  County  Militia.  Stiles 
states  on  hearsay  that  "the  Mass.  (Sc  Rh  Isld.  Militia  were  ordered  to 
Newport:  G.  Lincoln  has  the  Command  of  them."  The  Literary  Diary 
of  Ezra  Stiles,  Franklin  Bowditch  Dexter,  ed.,  New  York,  1901,'  vol.  H, 
p.  S21. 


48 


RHODE  ISLAXD  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


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GENERAL  WASHINGTON  AT  LITTLE  REST 


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50  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

pleasant  traditions  have  come  down  to  us  respecting  this 
brief  visit  at  Colonel  Potter's.  One  of  his  daughters  in  her 
old  age  loved  to  tell  the  story  of  her  being  taken  by  the 
General  on  his  knee  and  enjoying  a  childish  talk  with  hnn. 
No  doubt  the  child  remembered  more  of  it  than  did  the 
General." 

There  have  been  so  many  "pleasant  traditions"  as  to  the 
whereabouts  of  Washington's  lodgings  on  his  various  trav- 
els that  the  credentials  of  the  applicant  to  such  an  honor 
must  needs  be  carefully  examined.  Research  has  disclosed, 
however,  that  the  claim  of  Little  Rest  can  be  truly  allowed 
and  that  there  is  every  reason  to  be  sure  that  General 
Washington  spent  the  night  of  March  5,  1781,  in  that 
village  and  that  he  probably  was  a  guest  of  Colonel  Potter. 
Contemporary  evidence  can  be  produced  in  substantiation 
of  this  assertion  in  the  form  of  extracts  from  diaries  of  two 
South  County  residents,  and,  most  important  of  all,  from 
the  expense  account  of  the  General's  journey,  kept  by  one 
of  his  aides.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Trench  Tilghman.  This 
manuscript,  preserved  in  the  Library  of  Congress,  through 
whose  courtesy  it  is  reproduced  herewith,  gives  incidentalh" 
the  itinerary  of  the  journey  and  some  of  the  inns  patron- 
ized, but  unfortunately  does  not  state  where  the  nights 
were  spent.  This  can,  however,  be  proven  by  the  diaries 
mentioned  and  other  contemporary  references. 

A  Connecticut  diary  states  that  General  Washington 
passed  through  Hartford  on  Sunday  March  4,  1781'  hav- 
ing possibly  spent  the  previous  night  in  Farmington.  Where 
the  party  spent  the  night  of  the  fourth  is  in  doubt,  but  it 
is  possible  that  it  was  in  Norwich  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
there  is  reference  to  the  town  having  been  illuminated  on 
that  evening.    The  first  Rhode  Island  town  mentioned  is 


'•The  Literary  Diary  of  Ezra  S files,  vol.  II,  p.  519.  The  reference  on 
page  5  22  is,  however,  incorrect  in  stating  that  General  Washington 
arrived  in  Newport  on  March  5th.  Contemporary  accounts  from  Newporr 
give  the  date  as  March  6th. 


gp:n'eral  \vashin(;ton  at  littlk  rest  51 

"Kinnions,"  the  present  day  Kenyons.  Here  $1900"'  was 
expended,  probably  for  refreshment  for  man  and  beast, 
and  also  $  1  74  for  two  guides  to  conduct  the  party  to  "Pot- 
ters at  Little  Rest"  where  they  would  appear  to  have 
arrived  during  the  afternoon  of  March  hfth.  The  amount 
spent  in  IJttle  Rest  is  the  largest  item  in  the  account,  $2796, 
a  sum  which,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  was  not  indicative  of  the  lack 
of  hospitality  on  the  part  of  the  residents,  but  rather  that 
the  stay  made  was  longer  and  that  necessary  cost  incidental 
to  refurbishing  and  replacing  equipment,  etc.,  for  the  entry 
into  Newport  the  next  day,  created  added  expense. 

We  have  Hagadorn  Wells'  statement  that  General 
Washington  stayed  at  Colonel  Thomas  Potter's.  This  is 
highly  probable  in  view  of  the  fact  of  the  prominence  and 
military  rank  which  Potter  held,  but  it  cannot  be  definitely 
proven.  "Potters  at  Little  Rest"  may  mean  Col.  Potters, 
John  Potter's  Inn  or  Judge  William  Potter's  famous  house, 
the  Abbey,  further  up  the  North  Road.  As  General  Howe 
is  stated  to  have  accompanied  Washington  on  this  journey, 
the  solution  would  seem  to  be  that  Washington,  and  per- 
haps Howe  anci  Tilghman,  lodged  at  the  Colonel's,  while 
the  remainder  of  the  party  were  accommodated  at  John 
Potter's  Inn.  Save  for  Wells'  reference,  there  seems, 
unfortunately,  to  be  nothing  to  clarify  this  doubt. 

The  next  day,  Tuesday,  March  6th,  two  reputable  resi- 
dents of  the  old  South  Countv  made  entries  in  their  diaries 


•"'The  sums  in  the  expense  acounts  seem  unreasonably  large  until  the 
depressed  condition  of  colonial  currency  is  realized.  In  1780  the  Genera] 
Assembly  of  Rhode  Island  established  a  scale  of  depreciation  for  bills  of 
public  credit.  These  tables  expressed  the  value  of  one  hundred  Spanish 
milled  dollars  in  paper  currency  and  were  promulgated  about  four  times 
a  year.  With  reference  to  the  case  point  we  find  that  in  November  1  780 
one  hundred  Spanish  milled  dollars  equalled  seven  thousand,  four  hun- 
dred paper  dollars  and  in  April  1781  one  hundred  Spanish  milled  dol- 
lars equalled  seven  thousand,  nine  hundred  paper  dollars.  It  might  be 
of  interest  to  add  that  in  1777  the  ratio  was  100  to  105  and  that  in 
May  1781  it  was  100  to  16,000.  Bills  of  Credit  and  Paper  Money  of 
Rhode  Island,  Elisha  R.  Potter,  Providence,  1  880,  pp.   1  1  ^. 


52  RHODE   ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

to  record  George  Washington's  presence.  The  first,  "Nailer 
Tom"  (Thomas  B.  Hazard),  notes  with  his  usual  succinct 
manner:  "3  6  C.  W.  W.  made  Nails,  went  to  Tower  Hall. 
Generril  Washinton  went  Newport  this  Day.  the  Town 
was  Elluminated." '  On  leaving  Little  Rest,  Washington 
made  his  way  to  the  old  South  Ferry  to  cross  to  Conanicut 
and  from  there  to  Newport.  We  find  from  the  account 
that  each  ferry  toll  was  $288.  On  his  way  he  passed  by  the 
house  of  Jeffrey  Watson,  who  lived  near  the  ferry  and 
had,  in  fact,  at  one  time  owned  and  operated  it.*  Watson 
noted  that  outstanding  event  by  entering  in  his  diary  that 
"On  March  6th  General  Washington  Rode  by  our  House 
with  about  Twenty  Soldiers  for  a  guard  about  ten  o'clock."'' 

It  is  regrettable  that  General  Washington  did  not  keep 
his  diary  at  this  date  that  we  might  have  had  his  impression 
of  his  visit  to  Little  Rest,  and  it  is  also  regrettable  that  there 
appears  to  be  no  contemporary  account  of  the  entertainment 
afforded  him  by  the  village,  of  the  "ellumination,"  of  the 
possible  guard  of  honor  composed  of  a  detail  from  the 
Kingston  Reds,  of  the  jollity  at  "Joe  Runnells"  Tavern 
and  at  the  several  other  inns. 

The  only  further  reference  to  the  General's  visit  comes 
down  to  us  in  the  tale  of  "Major"  Lunt,  who  boasted  of 
the  honor  of  having  shaved  the  Father  of  his  Country, 
which  is  so  amusingly  told  in  the  Jonny  Cake  Papers. ^° 
Record,  that  cruel  despoiler  of  traditional  glory,  deprives 
Lunt  of  his  rank  and  enters  him  as  private  and  sergeant.  On 
February  7,  1834,  Elisha  Reynolds  Potter,  son  of  Col. 
Potter,  then  a  member  of  Congress,  wrote  to  his  son  Elisha 
that  "In  the  time  of  the  revolution  Mr.  Lunt  watched  a 


'Nailer  Tojji's  Dhiry,  Thomas  B.  Hazard.  Boston,    1930,  p.  20. 

^Rhode  hlatid  Ferries^  Anna  Augusta  and  Charles  \ .  Chapin,  Provi- 
dence, 1925,  pp.  264  et  seq. 

''Ndrragdusett  FrieiuPs  Meetings  Caroline  Hazard,  Boston,  1899,  p. 
167. 

^^The  Jo/in\  Cake  Papers  oj  ''''Shepard  T'^w,"  Thomas  Robinson  Haz- 
ard, Boston,  1851. 


GENERAL  WASH  I  NcriON    AT  LITTLE  REST 


53 


beacon  that  we  had  on  the  hill  to  light  when  the  pjiglish 
landed  on  our  shores  and  had  a  gun  that  he  was  blowed  up 
with  to  lire  for  the  same  purpose.  I  want  \'ou  to  see  him  and 
git  him  to  make  application  for  a  pension  .  .  ."  " 

So  the  "pleasant  tradition"  of  George  Washington's 
stay  in  Little  Rest  happily  becomes  an  historical  fact,  a  gen- 
uine satisfaction  that  occurs  but  occasionalh'  in  the  work  of 
historical  research  where  the  glamour  surrounding  the  past 
is  so  often  rudely  dispelled. 

''From  the  Potter  Papers.  The  pension  was  granted  and  is  recorded 
in  the  pension  list  published  in   1X3  5. 

Dorr  War  Flacks 

The  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society  museum  contains  a 
collection  of  nine  Dorr  War  banners,  which  were  carried  in 
1  842.  Illustrations  of  the  interesting  political  banners  are 
shown  in  this  issue  of  the  Collections. 


(The  re\'erse  side  carried  no  design) 


54 


RHODE   ISLAND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 


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RHODE  ISLAiND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


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RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


DORIi   WAR    !-L  VGS 


59 


60 


RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 


61 


Rhode  Island  Historical  Society 
Treasurer's  Report 

INCOME  ACCOUNT  FOR  YEAR   1931 


Receipts 


Annual  Dues $2,770.00 

Dividends  and  Interest 5,40 1 .44 

Rental  of  Rooms  105.00 

State  Appropriations  1 ,500.00 


$9,776.44 
Expenditures 

Binding    $     577.40 

Books   706.97 

Electric  Light  and  Gas....' 46.1" 

Exhibitions  : 1  59.41 

Expense    248.70 

Grounds  and  Building 87.41 

Heating    700.00 

Newspaper    32.35 

Publications    1,041.04 

Salaries  5,580.00 

Supplies    330.57 

Telephone    63.95 

Water  8.00 

$9,581.97 
Surplus  Income  Account 1  94.47 

$9,776.44 


62  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

STATEMENT  OF  CONDITION,   DECEMBER   31,    1931 

Assets 

Grounds  and  Building  $    25,000.00 

Investments: 

Bonds 

$4,000.   Cedars  Rapids  Mfg.  &  Power  Co.,  5s, 

1953    $3,228.88 

3,000.   Central  Mfg.  District 3,000.00 

3,000.   Cleveland  Elec.  Ilium.  Co.,  5s,  1939   2,565.42 
1,000.   Commonwealth  Edison  Co.,  5s,  1943       965.25 

4,000.   Dominion  of  Canada,  5s,  1952 4,003.91 

1,000.   Western  Electric  Co.,  5s,  1944 998.17 

4,000.   61    Broadway    Building,    1st    Mtge., 

5><s,  1950  4,000.00 

4,000.    Minnesota  P.  &  Lt.  Co.,  1st,  5s,  195  5    3,930.00 
4,000.    Monongahela    \'allev    Traction    Co., 

1st  5s,  1942  ' 3,685.00 

2,000.   Ohio  Pwr.  Co.,  1st  and  Ref.  5s,  1952    1,974.00 

2,000.   Narragansett  Co.,  5s,  1947 1,980.00 

2,000.   Shell  Union  Oil  Corp.,  5s,  1947 1,979.00 

2,000.  Koppers  Gas&  Coke  Co.,  5s,  1947  1,962.50 
1,000.  Indianapolis  Power  &  Lt.  1st,  5s,  195  7  994.50 
1,000.  Texas  Power  &  Lt.  1st  Ref.  5s,  1956  1,021.2  5 
1,000.  Pennsylvania  R.  R.  Deb.  4>ls,  1970  922.50 
Stocks 

54  shs.  New  York  Central  Railroad  Co. $3,766.47 

1  25  shs.  Pennsvlvania   Railroad   Co 7,638.35 

30  shs.  Lehigh  \'alley  Railroad  Co. 2,1  1  2.50 

7  shs.  Lehigh  \'alley  Coal  Sales  Co. 23  5.39 

40  shs.  Milwaukee  Elec.  Ry.  &  Lgt.  Co.,  Pfd.    3,900.00 
64  shs.  American  Telephone  &  Telegraph  Co.    5,960.05 

3  50  shs.  Providence  Gas  Co.  5,75  5.68 

1  5  shs.  Providence  National  Bank  ]  ,  o^r.  rvn 

30  shs.  Merchants'  National  Bank  Bldg.  \ 

45  shs.  Blackstone  Canal  National  Bank 1,050.00 

52  shs.  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Ee  Rv.  Co., 

Com '. 6,247.85 

20  shs.  American  Power  &  Light 1,696.50 

30  shs.  Standard  Gas  &  Electric  4s,  Pfd 1,906.50 

3  5  shs.  Public  Service  of  N.  J.  5s,  Pfd 3,327.63 

1  0  shs.  Public  Service  of  N.  }.  5s,  Cum.  Pfd.  .       990.00 

10  shs.  Electric  Bond  and  Share   5s,  Pfd 922.00 

84,519.30 

Cash  on  hand   4,539.57 

$114,058.87 


treasurkk's  rki'ort  63 


LlAIULiriES 

Equipment  Fund   $    2  5,000.00 

Permanent  Endowment  Fund: 

Samuel  M.  Noycs $  1  2,000.00 

Henrv   ].  Steere 10,000.00 

fames  H.  Bugbee 6,000.00 

Charles  H.  Smith 5,000.00 

George  L.  Sheplev 5,000.00 

Charles  W.  Parsons +,000.00 

Edwin  P.  Anthony 4,000.00 

William  H.  Potter 3,000.00 

Esek  A.  Jillson  2,000.00 

|ohn  Wilson  Smith 1,000.00 

William  G.  Weld  1,000.00 

Charles  C.  Hoskins  1,000.00 

Charles  H.  Atwood  1,000.00 

John  F.  Street  1,000.00 

Franklin  Lvceum  Memorial 734.52 

56,734.52 

Publication  Fund; 

Robert  P.  Brown $    2,000.00 

Ira  P.  Peck  1,000.00 

William  Gammell  1,000.00 

Albert  f.  Jones 1 ,000.00 

William  Elv  1 ,000.00 

fulia  Bullock 500.00 

Charles  H.  Smith 100.00 

6,600.00 

Book  Fund  3,0 1  2.41 

Life  Membership  5,5  50.00 

Reserve  Fund  1 ,0 1 5.37 

Revolving  Publication  Fund 606.27 

Surplus  1  3,766.62 

Surplus  Income  Account 1 ,773.68 

$114,058.87 

Respectfulh'  submitted, 

G.  A.  Harrington, 

Treasurer. 


64  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


PRINCIPAL  ACCOUNT  FOR  THE  YEAR   1931 


Receipts 


Edwin  P.  Anthony $4,000.00 

John  F.  Street '. 1 ,000.00 

Reserve  Fund  402. 1 0 

Revohing  Publication  Fund 69.00 

$5,471.10 
Balance  January   1,   1931 1,650.54 


$7,121.64 


P 


■WMEXTS 


Electric  Bond  and  Share,  $5.00  Pfd.,  10  shares $     922.00 

Pennsylvania  Railroad  Deb.  4>2S,  1970 922.50 

Public  Service  Corp.  of  N.  [.,  10  shares 990.00 

Texas  Light  &  Power  1st  Ref.  5s,  1956 1,021.25 

Reserve     500.00 

$4,355.75 
Balance  December  30,  1931  2,765.89 

$7,121.64 


Roger  Williams  Press        I^A» 


t 


E.  A.  Johnson  Co. 


PROVIDENCE 


Rhode    Island 

Historical  Society 
Collections 


Vol.  XXV 


JULY,  1932 


No.  3 


HENRY  M ARCHANI'  S  BOOKPLATE 


Sc-f  page  89 


Issued  Quarterly 


68  Waterman  Street,  Providence,  Rhode  Island 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

The  Lands  of  Portsmouth 

by  Edward  H.  West 65 

New  Publications  of  Rhode  Island  Interest  .  86 

Notes        .  .  .  ,        .  .  .  .  .  87 

Roger  Williams  of  Providence,  not  F.  R.  S. 

by  Winthrop  Tilley 87 

Marchant  Bookplate  ....  Cover  and  89 

List  of  Members 90 


RHODE 
HISTORICAL 


ISLAND 

SOCIETY 


'•«■«■•»** 


COLLECTIONS 


VOL.  XXV 


July,  1932 


No.  3 


William  Davis  Miller,  Presiiie7it   Gilbert  A.  Harrington,  Treasurer 
Howard  W.  Preston,  Secretary  Howard  M.  Chapin,  Librarian 


The  Society  assumes  no  responsibility  for  the  statements  or  the  opinions 
of  contributors. 


The  Lands  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  and 
a  Glimpse  of  Its  People 

By  Edward  H.  West 


When  the  original  settlers  laid  out  the  first  settlement, 
Pocasset,  they  immediately  made  laws  governing  the  size 
and  location  of  the  house  lots.  When  we  look  back  at  them 
and  see  the  kind  of  men  they  were,  then  follow  their  laws, 
as  they  made  them,  it  does  not  seem  possible  that  they  were 
men  who,  before  coming  over  here,  owned  very  little  land 
and  had  very  little  to  do  with  government  j  besides,  many 
of  them  had  no  education.  Of  course,  there  were  men  qual- 
ified to  lead  but  they  could  not  always  agree  or  there  would 
not  have  been  a  split-up  the  first  year. 


66  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

The  land  laws  are  what  we  are  most  interested  In  at  this 
time.  The  "Records  of  the  Island  of  Rhode  Island"  is  a 
well  preserved  book  and  is  the  first  book  that  they  used.  In 
it  is  the  "Compact"  signed  by  the  23  original  settlers.  There 
also  are  the  first  laws  made  by  them.  On  the  20th,  3rd  mo. 
1638 — "It  is  ordered  and  agreed  upon  that  every  man's 
allotment  recorded  in  this  Book  shall  be  sufiicient  evidence 
for  him  and  his,  rightly  to  possess  and  enjoy." 

One  month  later  they  considered  the  price,  "Whereas 
there  be  divers,  as  well  inhabitants  as  Freemen,  who  have 
taken  up  certain  proportions  of  Land  in  the  Island  of 
Aquidneck:  It  is  ordered  that  they  shall  pay  in  liew  thereof 
2  shillings  for  every  acre  that  they  do  enjoy  and  so  the  like 
sum  to  be  paid  of  all  such  who  shall  be  hereafter 
admitted  as  Inhabitant  in  to  the  Island:  And  it  is  ordered 
that  their  monies  shall  be  paid,  the  one  half  presently  and 
the  other  half  at  three  months  end,  and  it  is  further  ordered 
that  those  who  shall  pay  in  their  monies  shall  bring  in  a 
note  unto  the  Company  under  the  treasurers  hand,  his  name 
and  lands  then  to  be  registered  in  the  Records,  according 
to  a  former  order." 

On  the  5th  of  the  9th  mo.  1638:  "It  is  ordered  that 
Mr  Sanford  and  Mr  Jeffries  shall  lay  out  the  house-lots 
for  the  Town,  three  acres  to  each  house,  to  those  not  yet 
provided  forj  and  it  was  further  ordered  that  those  who 
were  upon  the  first  discovery  ( and  freemen )  shall  be  pro- 
vided according  to  six  acres  a  houselot  as  near  to  their 
houses  as  conveniently  can  be." 

In  time  they  outgrew  the  one  book,  for  at  the  General 
Court  of  March  1641: — "It  is  ordered  that  each  town 
shall  provide  a  Town  Book,  wherein  they  shall  Record  the 
Evidences  of  the  Land:  and  shall  also  have  power  to  give 
forth  a  copy  thereof,  which  shall  be  a  clear  evidence  for 
them  and  theirs  to  whom  it  is  so  granted.  Also  at  this  same 
court  was  established  the: — 

"Tenure  of  the  Lands  of  Aquidneck:  It  is  ordered,  estab- 
lished and  decreed,  unanimously,  that  all  men's  properties 


THE  LANDS  OF  PORTSMOUTH  67 

in  their  lands  of  the  Island  and  the  jurisdiction  thereof, 
shall  be  such  and  so  free,  that  neither  the  State  nor  any 
person  or  persons  shall  intrude  into  it,  to  deprive  him  of 
anything  whatsoever,  that  is,  or  shall  be  within  that  or  any 
of  the  bounds  thereof,  and  this  Tenure  and  Proprietary  of 
his  therein,  shall  be  continued  to  him  or  his,  or  to  whomso- 
ever he  shall  assign  it  for  ever." 

After  a  while  it  was  found  that  many  men  had  never  had 
their  land  recorded,  and  as  some  of  it  had  changed  hands, 
and  the  former  owners  gone  away  without  giving  deeds, 
some  of  the  owners  were  not  sure  that  they  owned  their 
land;  so  at  the  General  Court  held  at  Newport,  1 3th  of  the 
1st  mo.  1644  they  passed  the  following  law:  "It  is  ordered, 
that  for  as  much  as  according  to  divers  orders  by  General 
Court  formerly  made,  That  all  such  lands  as  were  granted 
to  any,  they  should  be  recorded  in  the  State  Book,  which 
should  be  their  evidence  to  perpetuity,  and  it  now  appear- 
ing to  this  present  Court  that  much  land  has  been  granted 
unto  divers  persons  who  have  made  sales  thereof,  and  have 
since  gone  away,  or  departed  from  the  jurisdiction,  so  that 
the  original  Records  cannot  be  in  due  form  made:  Be  it  now 
established  and  decreed  by  the  Court  and  the  authority 
hereof,  that  all  who  have  made  or  shall  make  purchase  of 
any  such  lands,  and  shall  sufficiently  evince  either  by  writ- 
ing, bargain,  contracts,  or  other  testimony  of  the  purchase 
of  any  such  land  or  lands  before  one  Judge  of  the  Court 
and  the  Clerk  of  the  Peace:  that  then  the  secretary  shall 
have  full  power  to  record  the  said  lands  in  the  State  Book 
to  the  purchaser;  and  in  his  name  then  holding  the  said 
land,  which  record  shall  be  authentic  to  him  or  them,  their 
heirs,  executors  or  assigns,  as  if  the  said  land  had  been 
originally  granted,  and  according  to  that  Trust  in  all  points 
observed." 

At  a  Town  Meeting,  held  at  Portsmouth,  5  Jan.  1660, 
five  men  were  chosen  to  order  all  highways  belonging  to 
the  town  and  to  see  them  all  recorded,  they  to  be  paid  three 
shillings  apiece  for  each  day's  service. 


68  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

At  a  Town  Meeting  held  at  Portsmouth,  9th  July  1660, 
all  laws  in  the  State  Book  were  taken  up  and  ordered  to  be 
copied  in  the  New  Book:  "It  is  further  ordered  where  as 
there  is  a  book  already  procured  which  we  now  call  by  the 
name  of  the  Book  of  Land  Evidence,  the  said  book  shall  be 
kept  only  for  that  use,  for  evidencing  of  lands  therin,  and 
that  those  orders  in  the  State  Book,  concerning  the  tenure 
and  evidencing  of  lands  shall  also  be  recorded  therein. 

"And  for  as  much  as  there  may  be  an  appearence  of 
danger  of  having  the  said  book  lost  by  having  it  kept  in  a 
remote  place,  and  for  the  prevention  of  which  danger  it  is 
also  ordered  that  the  said  book  is  left  to  be  kept  at  the  house 
of  Mr  William  Baulston  untill  the  town  take  further  order 
about  it."  William  Baulston  kept  a  public  house  at  that 
time. 

At  this  time  we  shall  see  what  care  those  men  took  of 
their  records.  At  a  General  Court  of  Elections,  Portsmouth, 
May  1  6+7:  "Be  it  enacted  by  these  present  Assemblie,  that 
the  General  Recorders  Office  shall  be  in  generall,  to  have  a 
Coppie  of  all  the  Records  or  Acts  of  the  Generall  Assem- 
blie, Generall  and  particular  Courts  of  Judicature,  Rolles 
of  the  Freemen  of  the  Colonic,  Records,  Sales,  and  Bar- 
gains of  Land,  Wills  and  Testaments,  and  order  of  the 
Townsmen  touching  the  Intestate,  Records  of  the  Limitts 
and  Bounds  of  Towns,  their  Highways,  Driftways,  Com- 
mons and  Fencing,  Privileges  and  Liberties.  And  for  as 
much  as  matters  of  greaters  concernment  ought  to  be  kept 
and  preserved  with  the  greatest  vigilance  j  Be  it  enacted 
that  the  Generall  purchases,  ( which  are  all  we  can  show  for 
our  right  to  our  Lands,  and  the  Charter,  which  is  that  which 
gives  us  who  are  Subjects,  right  to  exercise  authority  one 
over  another )  be  kept  in  a  strong  chest,  having  four  several 
Locks  annexed  thereto,  and  that  each  Town  keep  a  key 
thereof,  that  so,  as  there  is  a  common  right  and  intrest 
therein,  there  may  be  no  access  unto  them  in  a  divided  way, 
(lest  also  they  be  divided),  but  with  a  comnion  consent. 
And  let  it  further  be  enacted,  that  this  chest  be  kept  in  the 


THK  LANDS  OF  PORTSMOUTH  69 

safest  place  in  the  Colonie:  and  the  General!  Recorder, 
also,  should  have  the  key  to  the  Room  in  which  it  is  placed." 
R.  I.  Col.  Records. ) 

The  General  Recorder  still  keeps  the  key,  as  those  who 
have  used  those  records  know. 

At  the  start  of  the  settlement  the  lots  were  ordered  to  be 
a  certain  size  and  the  measurements  were  given.  Later  the 
grants  read,  so  niany  acres  "more  or  less,  according  to  qual- 
ity." The  quality  of  the  land  governing  the  size  of  the  lot. 
I  have  not  found  any  lots  that  were  less  than  the  stated 
amount  but  in  some  cases  the  amount  given  was  twice  the 
number  of  acres  granted. 

Many  grants  were  never  recorded  and  I  found  mention 
of  them  as  being  the  bounds  of  the  adjoining  land. 

Some  deeds  are  accompanied  by  depositions  of  men  who 
knew  of  the  earlier  transactions.  In  one  case  I  found  a  deed 
given  by  the  son  of  a  man  who  died  before  the  sale  was 
completed. 

In  1644  it  was  agreed  that  only  the  freemen  who  were 
purchasers  had  power  to  dispose  of  the  land.  At  the  same 
meeting  it  was  agreed  that  all  undivided  land,  north  of  the 
Mill  Swamp  footpath,  was  to  remain  to  the  town  forever. 

In  1657  it  was  voted  to  dispose  of  200  acres  of  land  to 
any  who  wanted  it,  but  it  was  later  decided  to  add  1 00  acres 
more  as  the  divisions  would  be  too  small.  There  was  another 
division  in  1  693,  while  in  1713  practically  all  the  commons 
were  laid  out,  the  highways  straightened  and  the  town  was 
finished. 

Since  then  very  few  new  highways  have  been  laid  out, 
the  Turnpike  being  the  only  new  one  of  any  importance. 
The  others  have  been  developed  with  the  cutting  of  large 
estates  into  building  lots. 

In  1640  there  was  an  agreement  about  the  Line  between 
Newport  and  Portsmouth:  "The  sd  line  to  begin  half  a 
mile  beyond  the  Sachuest  River,  on  the  south  east  side  of 
the  Island  and  so  in  a  straight  line  to  run  to  the  nearest 
point  of  the  Brook  to  the  Hunting  Wigwam,  now  standing 


70  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

in  the  highway  between  the  two  towns,  and  so  by  that  line 
to  run  to  the  north  side  of  the  Island." 

In  1656  there  was  granted  70  acres  to  Bartholomew 
West,  in  behalf  of  William  Almy,  near  the  line.  This  land 
did  not  extend  to  the  line,  so  when  Newport  granted  land 
in  that  section,  it  was  run  to  the  land  of  Bartholomew  West. 
At  a  Town  Meeting,  5  Jan.  1660,  it  was  voted  to  appoint  a 
committee  to  meet  at  the  house  of  the  said  Bartholomew, 
and  lay  out,  with  men  sent  by  Newport,  the  Line  as 
recorded.  This  was  done  and  the  line  was  run  in  its  original 
location.  The  land  granted  by  Newport  was  left  to  the 
grantee  but  the  purchase  price  of  the  land  in  Portsmouth 
was  to  be  given  to  the  town  of  Portsmouth. 

As  we  all  know,  the  first  settlement  was  at  the  Spring. 
It  has  always  been  my  supposition  that  the  reason  for 
settling  here,  aside  from  the  fresh  water,  was  that  the  land 
was  more  easily  cleared,  although  I  have  found  record  of 
a  wood-lot.  As  more  people  came  to  the  Island,  and  it  was 
found  that  land  in  other  parts  was  better  for  agriculture, 
this  section  was  gradually  acquired  by  several  men. 

The  Town  of  Portsmouth  was  started  soon  after  the  first 
settlement  j  in  fact,  part  of  the  first  settlement  was  included 
in  the  town.  Some  of  the  house  lots  around  Bristol  Ferry 
were  arriohg  the  first  grants.  As  finally  laid  out,  the  town 
extended  as  far  south  as  Sprague  Street  and  from  the  east 
shore  to  the  west  road. 

In  the  center  of  the  land  between  the  East  Road  and  the 
West  Road  is  a  brook  which  runs  into  the  Town  Pond.  This 
was  called  the  Town  Swamp,  and  in  the  list  of  highways  in 
1661  the  swamp  is  mentioned  as  being  25  rods  wide  at  the 
end  toward  the  Town  Pond,  33  rods  about  the  middle  and 
1  1  rods  at  the  end  by  Mr.  Briggs.  There  was  an  unrecorded 
highway  running  along  this  brook.  At  the  first  it  probably 
ran  from  Wind  Mill  hill,  but  Daniel  Wilcox  fenced  the 
south  end  of  it.  There  was  a  jury  engaged  in  investigating 
this  apparent  steal,  and  although  there  were  a  number  of 
depositions  saying  there  had  always  been  a  highway  there, 


THK  LANDS  OF  PORTSMOUTH  71 

the  jury  could  rind  no  record  of  it  in  the  list  of  highways 
and  so  Daniel  was  allowed  to  keep  this  land. 

Gradually  the  whole  highway  was  granted  to  abutting 
land  owners.  The  water  of  this  brook  was  probably  used  in 
the  homes,  and  I  suppose  the  highway  was  closed  to  keep 
the  cattle  out  of  the  brook.  At  the  junction  of  the  roads  was 
a  watering  place,  which,  in  1713,  was  laid  out  as  a  public 
place  for  the  washing  of  sheep  and  a  watering  place  for  the 
benefit  of  the  town. 

To  the  east  of  this  place  is  a  level  tract  of  4  acres  which 
was  granted  to  Stephen  Brayton  in  1713.  This  land  was 
known  before  that  time  as  the  "Training  Place." 

At  the  head  of  the  Town  Pond  is  a  tract  known  as  the 
Baulston  Homestead.  It  was  here  that  William  Baulston 
had  his  public  house,  which  was  the  place  where  the  Book 
of  Land  Evidence  was  ordered  to  be  kept. 

On  the  west  shore  of  the  pond  were  the  houses  of  Lott 
Strange  and  of  John  Anthony.  In  1656  they  were  granted 
a  right  to  dig  a  ditch,  seven  or  nine  feet  wide,  from  the 
pond  to  the  dry  land  before  the  house  of  Goodman  Strange, 
"for  the  bringing  up  of  any  goods  more  conveniently.  This 
permission  was  needed  as  there  was  a  road,  until  1715, 
around  the  shore  to  Bristol  Ferry. 

Just  above  the  ferry  is  the  3  acre  lot  that  Richard  Searl 
sold  to  Mary  Paine,  afterward  the  wife  of  John  Tripp,  for 
a  pint  of  wine.  This  sale  took  place,  according  to  a  deposi- 
tion made  by  William  Collinge  in  1666,  at  the  house  of 
William  Baulston.  We  may  suppose  that  Mary  Paine  was 
a  bar-maid  in  William  Baulston's  public  house,  and  that 
Searl,  who  was  a  very  early  settler,  had  become  tired  of  the 
place  and  was  willing  to  sell  out  for  one  more  drink. 
Although  he  gave  no  deed,  the  Town  Council  ratified  the 
sale,  and  the  land  was  used  b\'  John  Tripp  for  the  site  of 
his  ferry  house. 

In  1719  the  land  to  the  south  of  the  ferry  was  ordered 
to  be  kept  open  for  the  convenience  of  the  public  in  import- 
ing and  transporting  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  wood,  etc. 


72  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

The  3  and  6  acre  lots  were  on  the  east  side  of  the  road  to 
the  ferry.  They  set  back  from  the  present  road,  and  the  land 
between  the  lots  and  the  road  was  granted  in  1693  and 
1713. 

The  first  road  we  come  to  on  the  right,  Stoney  Lane,  is 
mentioned  in  the  1661  list  of  highways  as  "between  Rich- 
ard Bordens  and  Mistress  Harts  is  a  driftway  2  rodd 
5  foot." 

About  65  rods  south  of  this  there  was  a  lane  to  the  water- 
ing place,  mentioned  in  the  1661  list  as  the  "lane  between 
Samuel  Wilson  and  Job  Hawkins."  This  was  called  Haw- 
kins Lane;  on  the  north  side  was  the  house  of  Richard 
Hawkins,  whose  wife,  Jane,  was  the  friend  of  Anne  Hutch- 
inson. Their  land  was  given  to  their  son.  Job  Hawkins,  who 
sold  it  in  1660  and  went  back  to  Boston.  I  have  found  no 
further  record  of  him  until  1683,  when  it  appears  that  he 
had  returned  to  Portsmouth,  a  town  charge.  In  the  treas- 
urer's report  there  are  several  items  of  expense  for  his  care, 
and  finally  there  is  3  shillings  6  pence  for  a  winding  sheet 
and  4  pence  for  a  half  pint  of  rum  for  the  watchers.  In  the 
1713  grants,  part  of  this  lane  was  granted  to  John  Anthony 
and  the  rest  of  it  to  John  Keese,  the  then  abutting  land 
owners. 

Along  the  shore  was  the  "Long  Meadow,"  acquired  of 
several  grantees  by  Samuel  Wilbur.  At  the  mouth  of  the 
brook  was  the  "Round  meadow"  of  John  Porter. 

This  brook  was  called  the  First  Brook  in  1643  when 
Robert  Ballou  was  granted  1 0  acres.  Today  it  is  known  as 
Willow  Brook,  but  I  prefer  the  name  mentioned  in  1659, 
"Little  Silver."  Does  your  idea  of  those  first  settlers  pic- 
ture them  as  people  who  would  give  a  brook  such  a  name 
as  that: 

Going  down  the  west  road,  known  in  1  71  7  as  the  Kings 
High  Road,  we  come  to  another  brook.  This  must  have 
been  very  much  larger  in  the  early  days,  as  it  was  then 
known  as  the  Mill  River  or  sometimes  as  the  Two  Mill 
River.  On  the  bank  of  this  river,  nearly  down  to  Freeborn's 


THK  LANDS  OF  PORTSMOUTH  73 

Creek,  stood  the  mill  of  James  Sands  and  Samuel  Wilbur, 
the  land  being  granted  for  it  in  1 642.  William  l^'reeborn 
purchased  it  in  1655  and  it  remained  in  that  family  until 
after  1800.  John  Tyler  also  had  a  mill  on  this  stream. 
South  of  the  river,  in  the  center  of  the  tract,  was  the  "Great 
Lot"  of  Randall  Holden.  Somewhat  back  from  the  road 
stood  the  house  of  John  Cory,  at  whose  house  the  Town 
Council  met,  and  even  after  his  death  the  meetings  were 
called  "at  the  house  of  the  widow  Cory." 

Continuing  along  this  road  we  come  to  what  is  now  the 
property  of  the  U.  S.  Government.  This  was  part  of  the 
240  acre  grant  to  William  Baulston.  There  is  a  small  stream 
running  through  it  on  which  stood  the  mill,  built  by  George 
Lawton  in  1648.  There  was  also  a  way  left  to  this  stream 
to  give  access  to  a  watering  place. 

The  highway  that  we  passed  was  laid  out  in  1683  as 
"highway  2  rods  wicie  beginning  at  the  sea  side  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Island  at  the  head  of  William  Freeborn's  lot 
and  so  to  run  that  breadth  to  the  Common  at  the  head  of 
the  land  laid  out  to  Ralph  Earl,  dec."  In  1717  it  was 
ordered  a  driftway  down  to  the  sea  or  salt  water,  "for  the 
benefit  of  His  Majesties  subjects  to  Pass  and  repass 
through,  both  for  cattle,  horses,  carts,  wagons  or  any  car- 
riage or  creature  whatsoe\'er." 

Somewhere  on  the  next  large  farm  there  is  a  spot  men- 
tioned at  a  Town  Meeting  of  16  April  1657:  "It  is  con- 
sented unto  b\'  vote  that  Thomas  Shrieve  hath  liberty  to 
sett  down  for  the  present  upon  that  house  plott  that  John 
Porter  hath  given  him  liberty  to  sett  down  for  the  present, 
upon  his  wife's  peaceable  and  good  behaviour  towards  her 
neighbors:  until]  he  can  more  conveniently  provide  for 
himself  or  the  town  take  further  orders.  Mr  Williani  Baul- 
ston, Philip  Sherman  and  Mr  John  Briggs  are  appointed  to 
speake  with  Shrieves  wife  anci  William  Charles  anci  George 
Lawtons  wife  and  to  give  them  the  best  advice  and  warning 
for  their  own  peace  and  the  peace  of  the  place." 


74  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Next  we  come  to  the  Wading  River  on  which  stood  the 
mill  of  George  Lawton,  who  was  granted  40  acres  "when 
he  hath  built  a  sufficient  mill  for  Mr.  Baulston."  Most  of 
his  land  was  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  he  having  only 
enough  for  a  mill  and  his  house  on  the  west  side. 

As  we  cross  this  river,  let  us  stop  and  think  back  to  a 
Town  Meeting  held  on  the  25th  of  April,  1 672 :  "Whereas 
this  Town  stands  Indicted  in  the  General  Court  of  Tryalls 
for  the  deficency  of  the  Bridg  on  the  Common  nere  Georg 
Lawton's  house:  The  Towne  Conceive  that  Bridg  is  Occa- 
sioned by  the  said  Georg  Lawton  makeing  a  damm  there: 
and  therefor  doe  conceive  he  Ought  to  Maintain  the  said 
Bridg:  Therefor  the  Towne  doe  Order  that  two  men  be 
chosen  by  the  Towne  to  go  to  the  said  George  Lawton  and 
in  the  Townes  behalf  desire  him  to  make  the  said  Bridg 
Suffitent,  or  otherwise  leave  the  highway  in  the  like  Con- 
dition it  was  before  he  made  that  damm,"  The  persons 
chosen  were  Robert  Dennis  and  Sajant  Jacob  Mott. 

Evidently  the  committee  did  not  make  a  favorable 
report  at  the  meeting  held  14  Oct.  1672  because  "The 
Towne  doe  now  Order  that  men  be  againe  sent  to  him  to 
Signefy  that  they  are  not  Satisfied  that  a  Bridg  Should 
Continew  in  the  Towne  Soe  dangerous,  and  that  if  he  doe 
not  take  Some  Speedy  Course  to  mend  it.  and  to  make  it 
in  a  safe  Condition  for  people  to  pase  and  Repase.  the 
Towne  will  be  forced  to  take  Some  other  Course  therein 
which  they  Rather  desire  may  be  prevented." 

Back  of  George  Lawton's  was  the  100  acre  grant  to 
Thomas  Cornell.  South  of  this,  Edward  Hutchinson  had  a 
grant  of  100  acres,  alsoj  while  Joshua  Coggeshall  acquired 
all  the  land  south  of  that  as  well  as  the  Hutchinson  grant. 
But  Joshua  did  not  stop  there  j  some  of  his  land  was  in 
Newport,  and  even  today  some  of  it  is  owned  by  his 
descendants. 

Turning  through  the  road  to  the  east  we  will  stand  upon 
the  bridge,  called  in  171 3  the  New  Bridge,  as  the  west  end 
of  this  road  was  not  cut  through  until  then.  To  the  north  is 


THE  LANDS  OF  PORTSMOUTH  75 

Wading  River  Swamp,  while  north  of  that  is  the  Rtjund 
Swamp.  Here,  also,  was  the  farm  of  Thomas  Cornell, 
called  the  Circuit  Farm. 

On  the  south  are  the  grants  to  William  James,  Hugh 
Parsons,  John  Cranston,  Nicholas  Brown,  John  Room  and 
others.  Farther  east,  before  the  days  of  the  man-made 
ponds  of  today,  was  the  farm  of  Thomas  Lawton,  called 
the  Hunting  Swamp  Farm. 

Continuing  along  this  road  we  come  to  the  site  of  the 
Southern  School  House,  where  the  widow  Sarah  Strange 
took  up  her  residence  after  the  death  of  her  husband;  for 
at  a  Town  Meeting  in  1 746,  she  and  her  family  were 
ordered  out,  so  that  the  school  house  might  be  improved  in 
the  use  for  which  it  was  built.  Was  she  an  early  Commu- 
nist, demanding  that  public  buildings  be  thrown  open  for 
the  people? 

Let  us  now  turn  down  the  Newport  path  until  we  come 
to  a  road,  nearly  to  the  line,  which  was  laid  out  in  1713. 
Turning  east  through  this  road  we  come  to  what  has  been 
for  many  years  known  as  Wapping  Road.  This  road  was 
mentioned  in  the  list  of  1661,  and  ran  between  many  of  the 
large  farm  grants.  In  the  1717  list  of  highways  mention  is 
made  of  the  "Great  Rock"  near  the  line,  a  great  mass  of 
pudding  stone. 

The  farms  here  belonged  to  Bartholomew  West,  Samuel 
Hutchinson,  and  John  Sanford.  On  the  west  side  of  the 
road  was  the  Long  Swamp  farm  of  Thonias  Lawton,  made 
up  of  several  grants  which  he  purchased  of  the  grantees. 
On  the  east  side  was  the  farm  of  Thomas  Burton,  granted 
in  1640,  to  run  from  the  middle  of  the  first  water  south  of 
the  second  sandy  point  to  the  middle  of  the  fourth  water. 
In  1648,  in  a  grant  to  Thomas  Cook,  mention  is  made  of 
Mr.  Burton's  ferry.  I  have  never  been  able  to  find  any 
other  mention  of  this  ferry.  I  suppose  it  was  probably  the 
first  ferry  to  Fogland.  Turning  east  thn)ugh  a  former  road 
we  come  to  Sandy  l-*oint  farm,  first  granted  to  William 
Aspinwall,  and  after  he  left,  to  Edward  Hutchinson. 


76  RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 

We  will  now  take  a  cart  path  to  the  north,  passing  the 
grants,  on  the  right,  to  Ralph  Cowland,  Giles  Slocum, 
John  Cranston  and  Thomas  Cook.  We  now  come  to  what 
has  been  called  for  many  years,  the  Glen.  This  was  granted 
to  William  Brenton  but  was  acquired  by  Giles  Slocum,  who 
built  a  fulling  mill  on  the  bank  of  the  stream. 

North  of  this  was  the  farm  of  William  Brenton,  called 
by  him  Middleford  Farm.  There  was  a  broad  approach  to 
this  farm,  for,  in  the  1 GG 1  list  of  highways  it  says,  "the  way 
to  Mr.  Brentons  farm  from  the  Newport  path  is  20  rods 
broad." 

Returning  to  the  Newport  path  we  come  to  a  brook,  now 
called  Mint  Water  Brook,  which  crosses  the  road  and  runs 
into  what  was  known  in  1657  as  Briggs  Swamp,  when 
Phillip  Sherman  was  granteci  30  acres  here.  To  the  north 
of  this,  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  was  more  of  Phillip 
Sherman's  land,  in  what  was  known  as  Birch  Swamp.  Here, 
also,  was  the  land  of  William  Almy,  who  fenced  in  the 
road  to  the  watering  place  and  was  compelled  by  the  court 
to  open  it  again. 

Turning  to  the  west,  we  go  up  Stub  Toe  Lane  and  come 
to  a  swamp  on  the  north  side  of  the  lane,  that  is  mentioned 
in  the  records  from  1649  to  1  728.  It  seemed  to  be  a  sort  of 
a  land-mark  and  was  called  in  nearly  every  case  "Solentary 
Hole."  The  name  still  fits  the  place. 

Turning  to  the  right,  we  come  to  Watch  Hill.  On  the 
corner  of  Mill  Lane,  a  road  cut  through  in  1713,  was  a 
piece  of  land  left  to  the  town  in  the  1713  grants.  On  it  was 
a  watch  house,  although  at  that  time  it  was  in  a  dilapidated 
condition.  Later  on  this  land  was  used  for  a  wind  mill  with 
the  understanding  that:  "Prcnided  that  in  time  of  war  the 
town  be  not  restricted  ...  in  buikiing  a  watch  house  thereon 
for  the  ciefence  and  safety  of  the  said  town." 

At  the  end  of  this  road  we  come  to  the  old  Quaker  Meet- 
ing House.  This  land  was  granted  in  1 659  to  William  Cad- 
man,  sold  to  Robert  Fish  in  1688,  and  a  half  acre  of  it  sold 
by  him  in  1708  to  the  "people  sometimes  called  in  scorn, 


THK  LANDS  OK  PORTSMOITTH  77 

Quakers,  the  land  on  which  stands  the  meeting  house" 
which  makes  the  building  date  before  that  time. 

We  are  now  at  the  top  of  Quaker  Hill.  Let  us  look  in  all 
directions,  as  the  view  from  here  is  of  the  best.  To  the 
southwest  is  a  large  stretch  of  rolling  land,  some  of  it 
swampy,  the  center  portion  of  which  was  granted,  to  several 
men,  as  early  as  1648.  The  land  bordering  on  the  east, 
south  and  west  sides  was  not  granted  until  1713,  while  that 
on  the  north  end  was  granted  earlier. 

In  1692,  Robert  Hodgson  sold  2  rods  of  land  and  a 
house,  on  the  south  side  of  the  road  running  west  from  the 
meeting  house,  to  the  Quakers.  This  was  probably  their 
first  church.  They  sold  it  to  Joseph  Morey  in  1  700,  which 
was  probably  the  date  of  building  the  present  church. 

To  the  northwest  is  part  of  the  Mill  Swamp,  land 
granted  quite  early.  Here  were  the  grants  of  John  Hall, 
George  Parker,  William  Hall  and  William  Havens.  Just 
back  of  the  Quaker  land  there  was  a  mill  dam. 

Southeast  of  us  were  the  grants  to  Thomas  Slow,  George 
Lawton,  his  brother,  Thomas  Lawton,  and  William 
Wodell.  This  land  was  acquired  by  Thomas  Lawton. 

Northeast  were  the  grants  of  Edward  Wilcox,  Thomas 
Spicer  and  Thomas  Emmons.  These  were  all  acquired  by 
William  Wodell. 

Let  us  look  down  the  hill  and  try  to  picture  the  story  as 
told  by  Daniel  Lawton,  25  September,  1 664,  at  the  inquest 
on  the  body  of  Thomas  Brownell:  saying  "yesterday  in  the 
afternoon,  Mr  Thomas  Brownell,  being  at  Thomas  Law- 
ton's  house,  Mr  Brownell  asked  the  deponent  whether  he 
would  ride  toward  Portsmouth  town  along  with  him,  the 
deponent  answered  he  would.  So  they  both  rode  together, 
and  when  they  were  going  down  the  hill  at  the  head  of 
William  Wodells  ground,  Mr  Brownell  put  his  horse  on  a 
gallop  afore  the  deponent,  whereupon  the  deponent  also 
put  his  horse  and  presently  out  ran  Mr  Brownell  and  got 
afore  him,  and  so  continued  on  his  gallop  some  distance 
before  he  looked  back  to  see  where  Mr  Brownell  was,  then 


78  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

he  spied  his  horse  running  alone  out  of  the  way  into  the 
swamp,  whereupon  the  deponent  forth  with,  not  mistrust- 
ing eminent  danger  to  the  man  ran  and  turned  the  horse 
and  brought  him  into  the  way  where  presently  he  saw 
Mr  Brownell  lying  on  the  ground,  and  the  deponent  called 
but  none  answering  he  let  the  horse  go  and  went  up  to  him 
and  took  him  by  the  arms,  whereby  and  also  by  the  efusion 
of  blood  from  him  on  the  ground  he  perceived  the  sayed 
Brownell  was  dead."  The  verdict  of  the  coroner's  jury  was: 
"We  find  by  evident  signs  and  appearances,  as  a  very  great 
efusion  of  blood,  and  the  reins  of  his  bridle  being  broken 
and  lying  near  to  where  he  lay,  as  also  an  aparent  sign  of  a 
stroke  on  a  tree  near  where  he  lay  and  some  blood  and  hairs 
sticking  on  said  tree.  That  the  said  Brownell  came  to  his 
death  by  riding  furiously  down  the  hill,  was  thrown  or 
cracked  against  said  tree  and  his  skull  broke  and  to  the  best 
of  our  understancding  his  brains  came  out." 

We  will  now  go  down  the  hill  to  Freeborn's  Lane, known 
in  1644  as  the  Mill  Swamp  Foot  Path.  Turning  through 
here  to  the  New  Lane,  laid  out  in  1 694,  we  find  a  small  hill, 
called  at  that  time  "Apes  Hill";  the  reason  for  this  name 
being  buried  with  the  people  of  that  time.  The  land  from 
a  thousand  feet  west  of  this  land  was  not  granted  until 
1 694  and  sonie  of  it  not  until  1713. 

I  will  now  read  parts  of  some  depositions,  showing  that 
the  difference  in  the  people  of  then  and  now  is  not  as  great 
as  one  would  think.  This  is  about  a  man  who  lived  on 
Freeborn  Lane. 

Joseph  Johnson "Testifieth  that  he  being  at  the  house 

of  Benjamin  Hall did  ask  said  Hall's  wife  for  a  gill  of 

rumm,  and  the  said  Halls  wife  replied  that  she  had  no 
lisence  to  sell  but  never  the  less  she  would  let  him  have  a 
gill  of  rum  &  the  rum  was  brought  &  when  sd  Johnson  was 
about  to  go  away  he  asked  what  was  to  pay  for  the  rum,  but 
sd  Halls  wife  being  gone  to  ride  out,  left  change  with  her 
younger  brother  to  take  pa}'  for  the  rum  &  likewise  the  boy 
did  take  pay  for  the  rum " 


THK  LANDS  OF  PORTSMOUTH  79 

Be  fore  me  Giles  Slocum   Assistant. 

Andrew  Peters,  late  of  Newport testirieth  to  the 

truth  of  the  above  written  evidence. 

Before  me  Giles  Slocum  Assistant. 

But  here  is  another  one. 

"Andrew  Peters testiheth being  at  the  house 

of  Wm.  Brightman came  Joseph  Johnson  and  would 

have  the  above  sd  Peters  go  along  with  him  then  sd  Peters 
said  he  could  not  go  with  Johnson  &  then  abovesd  Johnson 
told  sd  Peters  he  would  give  him  a  treat  &  nine  shillings  in 
money  and  ye  sd  Thomas  Cornell  had  hired  sd  Johnson  to 
gitt  one  to  goe  with  Johnson  to  see  who  Johnson  could  gitt 

drink  of then  sd  Peters  went  with  Johnson  to  one 

house  and  asked  for  a  dram  &  there  was  two  women  and  a 
boy  one  of  theni  women  replies  they  did  not  sell  drink  nor 
had  they  any  lisens  to  sell  so  them  two  wonien  got  on  a 
horse  &  rod  away  then  Johnson  asked  the  boy  for  rum  and 
made  him  fetch  two  gills  and  Johnson  gave  the  boy  one 
piece  of  money  but  who  that  boy  and  them  two  women  was 

or  what  their  names  was  sd  Peters  doth  not  know sd 

Peters  &  Johnson  went  to  ye  above  Cornells  house  next 
morning  came  Giles  Slocum  then  Johnson  &  Slocum  did 
whisper  together  then  sd  Slocum  writt  soniething  but  what 
it  was  sd  Peters  do  not  know  nor  never  knew  and  further 
ye  sd  Peters  took  no  ingagement  to  any  writting  that  Giles 
Slocum  writ  and  further  saith  not. 

Taken  upon  oath  Sept.  9th  day  1  709 

Benjamin  Hall    Justice." 

On  the  opposite  sicie  of  the  road  is  the  place  called  South- 
side;  on  the  plat  made  in  the  year  1726  and  now  in  the 
Town  Clerks  office,  it  is  called  New  Town.  This  section  was 
hrst  nientioned  in  169.'?,  being  bounded  by  the  land  of  the 
widow  La\'  on  the  north  and  by  the  land  in  the  possessit)n 
of  Nicholas  Bn)wn  on  the  south.  It  was  cut  up  in  a  number 
of  \ery  small  di\'isions  anci  the  grants  dragged  o\"er  a  num- 
ber of  years.  This  land  did  not  carry  a  freehold  with  it; 


80  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

that  is,  the  grantee,  if  he  owned  no  other  land,  was  not 
entitled  to  land  in  any  other  division  of  the  commons. 

Turning  up  the  road  on  the  left  we  come  to  Wind  Mill 
Hill,  now  called  Butt's  Hill.  In  the  first  records  this  is 
called  Brigg's  Hill.  There  was  probably  a  wind  mill  erected 
here  very  early.  In  July,  1667,  the  governor  gave  orders 
for  the  erecting  of  a  beacon  on  Mill  Hill. 

Just  above  this  road  is  the  smallest  grant  on  record,  aside 
from  those  in  South  Side,  j/2  acre  to  Benjamin  Chase  of 
Tiverton. 

We  have  now  come  to  the  east  side  of  the  town.  Not  only 
were  there  3  and  6  acre  lots  but  also  2  and  4  acre  lots.  I  have 
found  no  change  in  the  laws  or  any  information  about  this. 

Here  among  others  were  the  lots  of  John  Briggs,  John 
Hall,  Old  John  Mott,  Thomas  Jennings,  Henry  Percy, 
William  James,  John  Archer  and  many  others. 

There  were  also  a  few  small  house  lots  on  the  east  side, 
of  the  road.  In  this  section  was  the  land  that  Richard  Hart 
sold  in  1664  to  Peter  Tallman  "by  Turf  anci  Twig,"  this 
being  one  of  the  few  instances  of  this  mode  of  sale  men- 
tioned in  the  records. 

In  the  settlement  of  the  estate  of  Anthony  Paine,  widow 
Rose  Paine  deeded  8  acres  of  land  to  Lott  Strange.  Under- 
neath the  copy  of  this  deed  is  written,  "This  deed  with  the 
above  mentioned  land  I  doe  surrender  to  thee  John  Keese 
and  thine  from  me  Lott  Strange." 

It  was  here  that  Anthony  Emory  kept  his  public  house. 
Anthony  had  a  well  in  the  highway  into  which  a  drunken 
Indian  fell  one  night  and  was  drowned.  Anthony  was 
indicted  but  the  case  was  dismissed  when  he  filled  the  well 
up.  The  Indian,  called  by  the  English,  Sam,  was  from 
Mount  Hope  and  was  found  dead  17  July,  1670.  Among 
the  Indians  testifying  at  the  inquest  were  Tom  Dumplin 
and  the  Indian  Squaw  wife  to  the  Sachem  Phillip. 

She  testified  that  she  heard  Sani  and  Tom  Dumplin  have 
many  angry  words  together,  the  Sachem  Sam  saying  to 
Tom  "go  and  fetch  me  a  quart  of  drink"  and  Tom  answered 


THK  l.AXDS  OF  I'OKTSM  OL'TH  81 

"no  I  will  not "  "I  also  heard  Tom  Dumplin  telling 

Sam  he  was  always  angry  with  him  and  bore  him  a  grudge 
for  that  he  the  said  Sams  father  had  formerly  Burnt  Toms 
fathers  and  Brothers  house  and  had  also  cutt  his  Brothers 
hair." 

Peter  Tallman  acquired  much  of  the  land  in  this  section, 
some  of  which  he  made  over  to  Joan  Briggs  before  they 
were  married.  Peter  must  have  been  a  nice  neighbor,  for 
several  times  he  was  under  bonds  to  keep  the  peace,  and  at 
Court  in  1688,  Martha  Lay,  the  wife  of  Edward  Lay,  tes- 
tified that  she  was  "still  in  fear  of  her  life  of  Mr  Tallman 
and  feared  that  some  time  he  would  murder  her." 

Edward  Lay  purchased  his  land  in  1661  of  Daniel  Wil- 
cox, who  reserved  one  rod,  where  his  wife  was  buried. 

Here  also  was  the  home  of  Captain  Richard  Morris, 
who  acquired  his  land  of  sev^eral  grantees  but  sold  it  all  to 
Peter  Tallman. 

Next  we  come  to  the  road  to  Sanford's  ferry.  In  1661 
this  was  a  driftway  3y2  rods  wide. 

In  1  734  a  committee  was  appointed  to  inspect  the  records 
relating  to  part  of  this  highway.  They  reported,  "we  find 
the  ancient  records  so  much  defased  and  torn  that  they  are 
all  together  uninteligible." 

This  next  section  of  land  was  used  for  meadow  land.  I 
have  found  no  record  of  any  house  ever  having  been  built 
upon  it.  These  grants  were  small:  Samuel  Hutchinson 
owning  6  acres  on  the  corner  and  next  to  him  was  the  3  acre 
lot  of  John  Sanford,  then  3  acres  belonging  to  Adam  Mott 
and  next  to  that  was  the  3  acre  lot  of  Thomas  Spicer.  This 
was  called  Spicer's  nieadow  many  years  after  he  had  sold  it. 
Next  came  6  acres  belonging  to  William  Freeborn.  In  the 
recording  of  this  land  it  says  by  "grant  and  purchase  from 
others."  Who  the  others  were  is  not  recorded.  Then  came 
the  Barn  meadow  of  William  Baulston.  Between  these  last 
two  meadows  there  was  a  highway,  4  rods  wide,  down  to 
the  brook.  This  was  fenced  in  before  Thomas  Durfee 
acquired  the  land  from  his  father-in-law,  Gideon  I'reeborn, 


82  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

and  the  town  council  ordered  it  opened  up  again.  This  was 
not  done  for  many  years. 

Opposite  the  Barn  meadow  was  the  4  acre  house  lot  of 
Thomas  Burton  "on  the  hillside,"  granted  at  the  same  time 
as  his  farm. 

Turning  by  the  Baulston  Homestead  we  will  take  the 
road  to  Anthony's  Ferry.  On  the  left  is  a  driftway  to  San- 
ford's  Ferry  that  runs  through  the  Calfs  Pasture. 

On  the  right  is  the  first  house  lot  of  William  Brenton, 
butting  upon  the  Town  Pond.  We  have  now  come  to  the 
site  of  the  original  settlement,  where  the  lots  ran  from  the 
Great  Cove. 

On  the  north  is  the  North  or  Claypit  Field  j  in  front  of 
us  is  the  "Muskito"  Marsh.  North  of  this  marsh  is  the 
Flag  Pond,  while  beyond  that  is  the  plat  now  called  Com- 
mon Fence  Point,  which  was  granted  to  William  Brenton 
in  1640,  being  60  to  64  acres. 

As  we  reach  Anthony's  Ferry  we  see  what  is  now  called 
the  Hummock  but  what  was  called  in  the  early  records,  the 
Great  Rock  or  Great  Rocky  Hill. 

William  Almy  was  granted  8  acres  in  the  southern  part 
and  sold  it  to  Richard  Bulgar  in  1646.  More  of  it  was 
granted  to  Richard,  but  not  the  extreme  southern  end.  This 
was  called  Samuel  Hutchinson's  Hummock,  but  I  can  find 
no  trace  of  its  ever  being  granted  to  him.  Samuel  Hutchin- 
son never  had  any  of  his  land  recorded  during  his  lifetime, 
but  when  his  will  was  recorded,  many  small  records  of  his 
land  dealings  were  recorded,  too. 

Richard  Bulgar  cut  a  road  of  2  rods  in  width  to  the  west 
of  the  Great  Rock  and  gradually  sold  part  of  his  land.  His 
first  sale  was  to  Richard  Hart  in  1659.  This  passed  to 
Peter  Tallman  and  then  to  Thomas  Durfee,  who  finally 
acquired  most  of  the  point,  which  was  spoken  of  in  the  old 
records  as  the  south  east  corner  of  the  place  called  the 
Common  Fence. 

Joseph  Anthony  purchased  2  acres  in  1674,  and  in  1681 
he  was  granted  by  the  Town  45  rods  on  the  east  side  of 


THE  LANDS  OF  PORTSMOUTH  83 

Rocky  Hill,  from  the  Towns  Common.  The  beach  at  this 
point  is  declared  in  the  1717  list  of  highways  to  be  Town 
property  and  so  to  remain  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the 
public  for  importnig  and  transporting  horses,  sheep,  etc. 

The  following  letter  to  the  Town  Council  shows  that 
Richard  had  his  troubles  after  Thomas  Durfee  moved  to 
his  new  land. 

"Honorable 
"the  Complaint  of  Richard  Bulgar  that  he  demandeth 
protection  and  Redress  gainst  drunken  Indians  who  in  their 
drunkness  broke  down  my  fence  in  several  places  passing 
between  John  Simmons  his  house  and  Thomas  Durfee 
where  they  had  their  drink:  So  that  my  Self  being  at  the 
last  town  meeting:  in  my  abscence  my  wife  was  forced  to 
bolt  herself  within  the  house  but  Sassapanuitt  being  drunk 
with  other  Indians  attempted  with  throwing  of  stones 
break  open  the  door  upon  her  and  put  her  in  a  very  great 
fright;  they  taking  the  wood  that  lay  at  my  door  and  throw 
it  about  the  ground  and  thus  am  I  lately  disturbed  by 
drunken  Indians  since  drink  has  been  sold  there  so  that  I 
cannot  be  at  peace  by  day  nor  night  and  my  fence  hath 
been  broken  down  in  several  places  by  the  Indians  to  the 
ground  which  disturbance  I  never  had  till  Thomas  Durfee 
sold  drink  for  a  Red  ress  of  which  abuse  I  hope  the  Town 
will  take  care  to  prevent  for  the  future  " 

So  shall  I  remain  ye 

friend  and  servant 

Richard  Bulgar. 

In  1686,  Richard  Bulgar,  then  about  74  years  of  age, 
made  over  his  remaining  land  to  the  town,  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  himself  for  life.  In  the  town  treasurer's  report  for 
the  \ear  1687  are  the  following  items: — "a  pint  of  honey 
and  a  pound  of  figs  for  old  Bulgar  Is. 3d.  to  Joseph  Tim- 
berlake  for  the  hire  (jf  an  Indian  to  tend  old  Bulgar,  8s.,  to 
Matthew  (irennell  for  nails  for  old  Bulgars  coffin  6d." 


84  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Let  us  now  climb  to  the  top  of  the  Great  Rock  and  it  is  a 
climb,  too.  There  is  a  grand  view  from  here  for  we  are 
about  125  feet  above  the  sea.  Down  the  Pocasset  River  we 
see  Little  Compton  in  the  distance,  then  Punkatest  and 
opposite  us  the  Pocasset  Purchase.  North  of  this  is  Assonet, 
across  the  Taunton  River  is  Swansea,  then  Sowams  and 
Bristol  behind  us.  At  all  these  places  Portsmouth  men  were 
early  land  owners. 

I  have  heard  it  said  that  the  reason  for  this  spreading  out 
in  the  other  towns  was  the  grasping  way  of  an  Englishman, 
striving  for  more  land.  I  do  not  agree  with  this.  They  had 
families  in  those  days  and  had  to  have  land  for  their  sons 
and  the  families  that  were  to  follow.  Read  over  any  of  the 
old  wills  of  the  early  settlers;  this  son  to  have  this  land, 
another  to  have  land  in  some  other  town  "where  he  now 
dwells"  and  so  on. 

South  west  of  us  is  Sanfords  Cove,  in  which  is  the  appro- 
priately named  Spectacle  Island,  first  mentioned  when 
Samuel  Wilbur  sold  it  to  Thomas  Butts  in  1665.  Also  the 
2  acre  "neck  of  land"  granted  to  the  same  Samuel  Wilbur  in 
1638.  There,  too,  is  the  "little  bay"  mentioned  by  Nicholas 
Brown,  while  Easton's  Point  stands  out  as  it  did  when  those 
first  settlers  saw  it.  Over  the  land  called  by  John  Sanford, 
Mackpela,*  we  see  the  marsh  and  Gatchell's  Pond.  Then 
comes  the  Neck,  on  which  was  built  the  first  meeting  house, 
while  right  across  the  mouth  of  the  cove  is  that  point  on 
which  Thomas  Gorton  built  his  house,  the  possessor  of 
which  was  ordered  in  1642  to  keep  the  "ferrie." 

How  many  have  thought  of  the  cause  of  the  settlement 
of  this  town?  The  leaders,  Coddington,  Clarke, Coggeshall, 
Sanford,  Wilbur  Brenton  and  many  others,  were  not  men 


*The  onlv  meaning  I  can  find  for  Mackpela  is  a  Biblical  one,  burial 
-place.  (Gen'.  XXIII- 19,  XXV-9.)  Austin  says  that  John  Sanford  had  a 
child  born  in  1640  who  died  young;  possibly  this  child  was  buried  there 
although  I  do  not  think  there  ever  was  a  house  upon  the  land.  John  Sanford 
had  8  acres  here  and  sold  it  to  Samuel  Hutchinson.  The  exact  location 
can  not  be  found. 


THE  LANDS  OF  PORTSMOUTH  85 

who  would  with  one  accord  leave  everything  and  just  start 
another  colony.  These  men  were  all  settled  at  Boston,  mer- 
chants and  artisans,  some  of  them  members  of  the  General 
Court.  Boston  was  a  growing  place  so  why  should  they  go 
to  a  wild  country  and  start  another  colony: 

There  came  a  day  when  75  men  of  the  Bay  Colony  were 
disarmed  because  they  met  and  talked  about  religion  in  a 
way  not  in  keeping  with  the  leaders  of  that  place.  Who 
started  all  this: 

A  woman,  born  300  years  too  soon,  Annt  Hutchinson. 
At  her  house  were  held  the  meetings  at  which  those  differ- 
ences in  the  religious  beliefs  were  discussed,  differences 
which  led  to  banishment.  Many  of  the  men  who  settled 
here  attended  those  meetings  and  all  the  others  were  believ- 
ers in  this  new  doctrine. 

What  would  have  happened  around  here  if  these  meet- 
ings had  ne\'er  been  held:  These  men  would  never  have 
left  Boston,  practically  in  a  body,  as  they  did.  The  Island 
of  Rhode  Islanci,  bound  to  have  been  settled  some  time, 
would  ha\'e  had  a  far  different  story. 

With  another  class  of  men,  the  conditions,  which  to  us 
seem  to  lock  and  interlock  and  forni  the  goxernment  that 
has  worked  out  so  well,  would  have  probabh'  been  entirely 
different. 

Plymouth  Colony  possessed  the  land  westerly  to  the 
river;  this  would  have  remained  in  the  possession  of  the 
Bay  Colon}",  which  would  probably  have  claimed  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  state.  Connecticut  would  surely  have  kept 
the  land  to  the  Narragansett  Bay  and  the  islands  would 
have  been  dix'ided  between  the  colonies. 

We  of  this  state  should  realize  what  a  debt  we  owe  to 
Anne  Hutchinson,  for  without  her  there  would  never  hav^e 
been  Rhode  Island. 


86  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

New  Publications  of  Rhode  Island  Interest 

Rhode  Island  a?id  The  Sea  by  Howard  Willis  Preston, 
a  pamphlet  of  140  pages  issued  by  the  State  Bureau  of 
Information. 

Rhode  Island  Three  Centuries  of  Democracy  by  Charles 
Carroll,  in  four  volumes,  illustrated,  published  by  the 
Lewis  Historical  Publishing  Co.,  Inc.,  New  York,  1932. 

The  Letter  Book  of  Esek  Hopkins  hrst  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  United  States  Navy,  1775-1777,  transcribed 
from  the  original  letter  book  in  the  Rhode  Island  Historical 
Society  and  just  published  by  the  Society  as  a  volume  of 
151  pages  in  a  limited  edition  of  only  200  copies. 

The  Life  of  George  Washington  from  a  Rhode  Island 
Viewpoint,  by  Thomas  F.  Cooney  is  a  pamphlet  of  29  pages. 

Bishop  Berkeley,  His  Life,  Writings,  and  Philosophy  by 
J.  M.  Hone  and  M.  M.  Rossi  is  a  volume  of  286  pages 
printed  in  London  in  1931. 

Old  Time  New  England  for  April,  1932  contains  an 
illustrated  article  by  Daniel  Berkeley  Updike  on  the 
restoration  of  the  colonial  altar  piece  of  St.  Paul's  Church 
at  Wickford,  R.  I. 

Americana  for  April,  1932,  contains  an  article  on 
Rhode  Island's  Contribution  to  California  by  Eileen  M. 
MacMannus. 

The  New  England  Quarterly  for  April,  1932,  contains 
an  article  on  Richard  Partridge,  Colonial  A  gent ^  by 
Marguerite  Appleton. 

A  History  of  Grace  Church  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
1829-1929,  by  Henry  Barrett  Huntington  together  with 
an  Inventory  of  Memorials  and  Funds  compiled  by  John 
Hutchins  Cady,  Providence,  1931,  237  pages. 

The  Nezv  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register 
for  April,  1932,  contains  an  article  on  the  Dickens  Family 
of  Block  Island  by  G.  Andrews  Moriarty. 


ROc;ER  WILLIAMS  OF  rROVlDENCE  87 

Education  ioY  ]unt^  1931,  (p.  605)  contains  an  article  on 
Samuel  Gorton^  Champion  of  Liberty  by  J.  F.  Santee. 

Antiques  for  May,  1932,  contains  an  article  on  Another 
Miniature  b\  Gilbert  Stuart. 

Notes 

The  following  persons  have  been  admitted  to  member- 
ship in  the  Society: 

Mrs.  Charles  H.  Smith  Mr.  Norman  A.  MacColl 

Mr.  Arthur  S.  Phillips  Mrs.  William  R.  Morrison 

Mrs.  Sechcr  Edwards  Mr.  Ro}aI  Bailcv  Farnum 

Mr.  Stuart  M.  Aldrich  Mr.  Walter  Frederick  Dickinson 

Roger  Williams  of  Providence  not  F.  R.  S. 

By  WiNTHROP   TiLLEY* 

April  22,  1932. 
My  dear  Mr.  Chapin: 

I  am  giving  below  the  results  of  my  investigation  of  the 
Roger- Williams-a-member-of-the-Royal-Society  rumor, 
as  you  requested. 

According  to  Birch's  History  of  the  Royal  Society y  a 
Roger  Williams  was  proposed  a  candidate  for  the  Royal 
Society  by  Sir  Robert  Moray  ( Murray)  at  the  desire  of 
Sir  Paul  Neile  on  January  27,  1663/4;  he  was  elected 
February  3,  and  admitted  on  February  1 7  of  the  same  year 
(1  375,  377,  385).  The  name  of  Mr.  Williams  also 
appears  as  a  member  of  two  committees  of  the  Society,  as 
of  March  30  of  the  same  year  (T  406-407 ).  The  commit- 
tees were  the  mechanical  and  that  for  the  history  of  trade. 
Birch  also  states  "Mr.  Williams  was  desired  to  bring  in 
his  observations  of  the  curiosities  of  England."  (I  388. 
This  is  in  the  same  year. ) 

FVederick  E.  Brasch,  writing  in  the  Scientific  Monthly y 
(Oct.  1931,  p.  343)  has  assumed  that  this  was  the  same 
Roger  Williams  who  founded  Providence.  Investigation 
of  the  matter,  however,  has  led  me  to  the  conclusion  that 
it  must  have  been  another  man  of  the  same  name. 


88  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

So  far  as  is  known,  the  founder  of  Providence  did  not 
leave  the  American  colonies  after  1 654.  A  signature  of  the 
Williams  referred  to  by  Birch,  however,  appears  on  the 
records  of  the  Royal  Society.  You  have  told  me  that  this 
signature,  a  facsimile  of  which  you  have,  diifers  in  impor- 
tant respects  from  any  known  signatures  of  the  American 
Roger  Williams. 


OF  PROVIDENCE,    1656  F.    R.   S.    166  + 

The  men  who  sponsored  the  election  of  Mr.  Williams 
to  the  Royal  Society,  Moray  and  Neile,  were  intimates  of 
Charles  II.  It  is  apparent  from  a  scrutiny  of  Birch's  His- 
tory for  several  years  prior  to  1664  that  Neile's  chief 
function  as  a  fellow  of  the  Society  was  to  act  as  intermediary 
between  the  Society  and  the  King.  If  he  had  strong  scien- 
tific interests,  the  fact  does  not  appear  from  Birch's  account, 
which  is  given  in  considerable  detail.  Moray  who  was  the 
"soul"  of  the  Society  during  its  early  years,  also  carried  on 
negotiations  with  the  King.  He  had  scientific  interests,  but 
chiefly  in  the  fields  of  physics  and  astronomy.  The  only 
work  on  the  basis  of  which  the  American  Roger  Williams 
could  have  been  elected  was  his  "Key,"  published  twenty 
years  before  the  election  in  question  took  place.  This  work 
was  of  philological  and  ethnological  interest,  but  neither 
Moray  nor  Neile  seems  to  have  had  interests  in  those  fields. 
Furthermore,  the  radical  political  philosophy  of  the 
American  Roger  Williams  would  have  been  anything  but 
palatable  to  Moray  and  Neile,  both  staunch  and  noted 
Royalists,  and  the  latter  the  son  of  an  Anglican  archbishop. 

A  scrutiny  of  the  list  of  the  known  friends  of  the  Ameri- 
can Roger  Williams  at  the  time  of  his  residence  in  England, 
1652-4,  as  given  by  Dr.  James  Ernst  (RIHSColl  24:123, 
I  24  )  and  in  the  Dictionary  of  National  Biography,  fails  to 


HKNRV   MARC"  11  ant's  BOOKPLATE  89 

reveal  any  connections  which  might  have  led  to  his  election 
to  the  Royal  Society. 

The  Roger  Williams  who  was  elected  to  the  Royal 

Society  in  1663   4  seems  to  have  been  an  obscure  individual 

about  whom  nothing  is  known  except  the  fact  of  his  election. 

1  shall  of  course  be  glad  to  have  you  make  use  of  any  or 

all  of  this  information,  as  you  see  ht. 

Yours  very  truly, 

WINTHROP  TILLEY. 

P.  S.  I  should  add  also  that  I  examined  the  correspondence 
of  John  Winthrop,  Jr.,  himself  a  fellow  of  the  Royal 
Society,  without  finding  any  reference  to  the  election  of 
Roger  Williams,  although  he  was  in  correspondence  with 
the  American  of  that  name  in  1664. 


*Mr.  Tillev  is  working  on  "The  Literature  of  Physical  Science  in 
America  from  the  Beginnings  to  1765"  as  a  Ph.D.  thesis  for  the  Depart- 
ment of  English,  in  Brown  University. 

Henry  Marchant's  Bookplate 

The  bookplate  of  Henry  Marchant  is  reproduced  from 
an  original  through  the  courtesy  of  Miss  Mary  A.  Harris. 
Judge  Henry  Marchant,  1  74 1  - 1  796,  was  Attorney  General, 
1771-1777  and  a  member  of  the  Continental  Congress, 
1777-1789,  and  a  biography  of  him  appears  in  Updike's 
Memoirs  of  the  Rhode  Island  Bar,  pages  83-89  and  in  the 
Biographical  Cyclopedia  of  Rhode  I slandy'p.  145.  A  note 
accompanying  the  Marchant  coat  of  arms,  which  is  pre- 
served in  the  family  reads:  "William  le  Marchant — son 
of  Josiasj  William  le  Marchant — son  of  James;  Eleazer 
le  Marchant — son  of  Thomas  petitioned  for  Arms  in  1689 
as  being  descendants  of  Peter  le  Marchant  of  the  Isle  of 
Guernsey,  who  lived  in  the  year  1300,  and  from  whom  the 
pedigree  is  traced  down  to  the  above  said  William, 
William,  and  Eleazer,  as  appears  by  the  Register  of 
Descents  in  the  Herald's  office.  The  arms  are  Azure  a 
Chevron  or^  hefuceen  3  ozcls  argent  Legs  of  the  second.^' 


90 


RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 


List  of  Active  Members  of  the  Rhode  Island 
Historical  Society. 

June  1,  1932 


Mrs.  Joshua  M.  Addeman 
Mr.  David  C.  Adelman 
Mr,  Frederick  W.  Aldred 
Mr.  Edward  K.  Aldrich,  Jr. 
Miss  Lucy  T.  Aldrich 
Hon.  Richard  S.  Aldrich 
Mr.  Stuart  M.  Aldrich 
Mr.  Frederick  W.  Allen 
Mr.  Philip  Allen 
Miss  Ada  Almy 
Mr.  Walter  F.  Angell 
Mr.  Howard  L.  Anthony 
Mrs.  Howard  L.  Anthony 
Mrs.  Everard  Appleton 
Mr.  John  B.  Archer 
Mr.  Arthur  H.  Armington 
Miss  Maude  E.  Armstrong 
Mrs.  Edward  E.  Arnold 
Mr.  Frederick  W.  Arnold 
Miss  Mittie  Arnold 
Mr.  James  H.  Arthur 
Mr.  Donald  S.  Babcock 
Mr.  Albert  A.  Baker 
Mrs.  Charles  K.  Baker 
Mr.  Harvey  A.  Baker 
Mr.  J.  Willard  Baker 
Miss  Mary  H.  Balch 
Mrs.  Walter  S.  Ball 
Rev.  Clarence  A.  Barbour 
Mrs.  Sarah  Minchin  Barker 
Harry  Lee  Barnes,  M.D. 
Miss  Sarah  Dyer  Barnes 
Miss  Hattie  B.  Barns 
Mr.  Fred  H.  Barrows 
Mr.  Earl  G.  Batty 
Mrs.  Daniel  Beckwith 
Mrs.  Herbert  G.  Beede 


Mr.  Horace  G.  Belcher 
Mr.  Horatio  E.  Bellows 
Mr.  Bruce  M.  Bigelow 
Mr.  George  E.  Bixby 
Mr.  Zenas  W.  Bliss 
Mrs.  Edward  W.  Blodgett 
G.  Alder  Blumer,  M.D. 
Mr.  J.  J.  Bodell 
Mrs.  Theodore  P.  Bogert 
Harold  Bowditch,  M.D. 
Mr.  Richard  LeB.  Bowen 
Mrs.  Charles  Bradley 
Mr.  Claude  R.  Branch 
Mr.  John  B.  Branch 
Mrs.' William  C.  H.  Brand 
Miss  Alice  Brayton 
Miss  Elizabeth  H.  Brayton 
Miss  Ida  F.  Bridgham 
Mr.  Herbert  O.  Brigham 
Mr.  William  E.  Brigham 
Mrs.  William  E.  Brigham 
Miss  Eva  St.  C.  Brightman 
Mrs.  Clarence  A.  Brouwer 
Mr.  Clarence  Irving  Brown 
Mr.  Cyrus  P.  Brown 
Mr.  Frank  Hail  Brown 
Mrs.  Frank  Hail  Brown 
Miss  Isabel  R.  Brown 
Mr.  John  Nicholas  Brown 
Madelaine  R.  Brown,  M.D. 
Mr.  Wilbur  D.  Brown 
Mr.  Alfred  S.  Brownell 
Mr.  Edward  C.  Bucklin 
Mr.  Harris  H.  Bucklin 
Miss  Clara  Buffum 
Mr.  Frederick  H.  Buffum 
Mrs.  William  P.  Buffum 


LIST   OF    MEMBERS 


91 


Mr.  Edward  |.  C.  Bullock 
Mrs.  Edward\f.  C.   Bullock 
Mr.  G.  Rothwell  Burgess 
Mr.  Edwin  A.  Burlingame 
Mr.  Raymond  Buss 
Mr.  Alfred  T.  Butler 
Miss  Irene  B.  Butler 
Mr.  G.  Edward  Buxton 
Mrs.  S.  H.  Cabot 
Mrs.  Edwin  A.  Cady 
Mr.  John  H.Cadv' 
Mrs.'Charles  A.  Calder 
Miss  Helen  G.  Calder 
Frank  T.  Calef,  M.D. 
Mr.  Herbert  C.  Calef 
Mrs.  Walter  R.  Callender 
Mrs.  Wallace  Campbell 
Mr.  Emilio  N.  Cappelli 
Mr.  Thomas  B.  Card 
Mrs.  George  W.  Carr 
Mr.  Edward  Carrington 
Mrs.  Marion  P.  Carter 
Miss  Anna  H.  Chace 
Mr.  Malcolm  G.  Chace 
Mr.  Henry  S.  Chafee 
Mrs.  Everitte  S.  Chaffee 
Prof.  Robert  F.  Chambers 
Mr.  Arthur  D.  Champlin 
Mr.  George  B.  Champlin 
Mr.  George  Allen  Chandler 
Miss  Anna  Chapin 
Charles  V.  Chapin,  M.D. 
Mrs.  Charles  \'.  Chapin 
Mr.  Howard  M.  Chapin 
Mrs.  Howard  M.  Chapin 
Mr.  William  P.  Chapin 
Mr.  Frederic  L.  Chase 
Julian  A.  Chase,  M.D. 
Edmund  D.  Chesebro,  M.D. 
Mr.  Albert  W.  Claflin 
Mrs.  Edward  S.  Clark 
Mr.  Prescott  O.  Clarke 
Mr.  Eugene  A.  Clauss 
Prof.  Theodore  Collier 
Mrs.  Clarkson  A.  Collins,  Jr. 


Mr.  James  C.  Collins 

Mr.  Edward  L.  Coman 

Mr.  Jonathan  F.  Comstock 

Mrs.  Mabel  B.  Comstock 

Mrs.  W.  A.  H.  Comstock 

Mr.  Walter  J.  Comstock 

Mr.  William  P.  Comstock 

Mr.  Charles  D.  Cook 

Mrs.  Charles  D.  Cook 

Mr.  Albert  B.  Coulters 

Mr.  Ernest  S.  Craig 

Prof.  Verner  W.  Crane 

Mr.  Frank  H.  Cranston 

George  H.  Crooker,  M.D. 

Mr.  Harry  Parsons  Cross 

Frank  Anthony  Cummings,  M.D. 

Mrs.  Frank  Anthony  Cummings 

Prof.  S.  Foster  Damon 

Murray  S.  Danforth,  M.D. 

Mrs.  Murray  S.  Danforth 

Miss  Edith  R.  Danielson 

Mr.  William  C.  Dart 

Mr.  David  Davidson 

Mr.  Foster  B.  Davis 

Miss  Mary  Elliott  Davis 

Mrs.  R.  C.  Davis 

Mr.  Charles  J.  Davol 

Mr.  Herbert  R.  Dean 

Mrs.  Thomas  Hart  deCoudres 

Prof.  Edmund  B.  Dclabarre 

Mr.  Paul  C.  DcWolf 

Miss  Alice  S.  Dexter 

Miss  Eunice  W.  Dexter 

Mr.  Henry  C.  Dexter 

Mr.  Walter  Frederick  Dickinson 

Miss  Louise  Diman 

Mr.  Fred  Morton  Dixon,  Jr. 

Mrs.  Harriet  M.  F.  Dixon 

John  E.  Donley,  M.D. 

Mr.  Michael  F.  Doolcy 

Mr.  Louis  W.  Downes 

Mrs.  Louis  W.  Downes 

Mr.  Robert  T.  Downs 

Mr.  Charles  L.  Drown 

Mr.  David  Duncan 


92 


RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Mr.  Henry  A.  DuVlUard 
Miss  Margarethe  L.  Dwight 
Mr.  H.  Anthony  Dyer 
Mr.  William  Allan  Dyer 
Mr.  Charles  G.  Easton 
Mr.  Frederick  W.  Easton 
Mr.  Alfred  U.  Eddy 
Mr.  Cyrus  T.  Eddy 
Miss  Isabel  Eddy 
Mr.  William  Holden  Eddy 
Miss  Harriet  C.  Edmonds 
Miss  Edith  Edwards 
Mrs.  Seeber  Edwards 
Mr.  Walter  Angcll  Edwards 
Mr.  James  Elgar 
Mr.  William  Ely 
Mr.  Frank  W.  Emerson 
Mr.  Robert  S.  Emerson 
Mr.  Ralph  C.  Estes 
Mr.  William  Wood  Estes 
Mrs.  William  Wood  Estes 
Mr.  Charles  Owen  Ethier 
Mr.  Roval  Bailev  Farnum 
Mr.  Walter  F.  Farrell 
Mr.  Henry  A.  Fifield 
Mrs.  Irving  Fisher 
Mr.  Augustus  H.  Fiske 
Mrs.  Charles  Fletcher 
Mr.  Elliot  Flint 
Hon.  William  S.  Flynn 
Mrs.  Lawrence  B.  Fogarty 
Mr.  Allan  Forbes 
Mr.  John  R.  P.  Foster 
Mrs.  George  H.  Fowler 
Mrs.  Austen  G.  Fox 
Mr.  Hovey  T.  Freeman 
Mr.  John  R.  Freeman 
Mr.  Joseph  W.  Freeman 
Hon.  G.  Frederick  Frost 
Mr.  William  Congdon  Fry 
Mr.  Frederick  H.  Fuller 
Mr.  R.  Clinton  Fuller 
Frank  T.  Fulton,  M.D. 
Mme.  Annita  Gaburri 
Hon.  Joseph  H.  Gainer 


Mrs.  Robert  Ives  Gammell 

Mr.  William  Gammell 

Mr.  William  Gammell,  Jr. 

Miss  Abbie  P.  Gardner 

George  W.  Gardner,  M.D. 

Prof.  Henry  B.  Gardner 

Mrs.  John  T.  Gardner 

Mr.  Preston  H.  Gardner 

Mr.  Daniel  F.  George 

Mrs.  Louis  C.  Gerry 

Hon.  Peter  G.  Gerry 

Mrs.  Peter  G.  Gerry 

Mrs.  Alice  C.  Gleeson 

Mr.  Robert  H.  I.  Goddard 

Rabbi  Israel  M.  Goldman 

Mr.  George  T.  Gorton 

Mr.  Harry  Hale  Goss 

Mrs.  Richard  Rathborne  Graham 

Mr.  Eugene  S.  Graves 

Mrs.  Eugene  S.  Graves 

Miss  Eleanor  B.  Green 

Mr.  Theodore  Francis  Green 

Mr.  Edward  Aborn  Greene 

Miss  Esther  F.  Greene 

Mr.  Thomas  C.  Greene 

Mr.  Ralph  M.  Greenlaw 

Mr.  William  B.  Greenough 

Mr.  Russell  Grinnell 

Mr.  E.  Tudor  Gross 

Mrs.  Harold  J.  Gross 

Mr.  R.  F.  Haffenreffer 

Hon.  J.  Jerome  Hahn 

Mr.  John  W.  Haley 

Mr.  Ellery  A.  Hall 

Miss  Annette  M.  Ham 

Mrs.  Livingston  Ham 

Mrs.  Albert  G.  Harkness 

Mr.  Gilbert  A.  Harrington 

Mr.  Benjamin  P.  Harris 

Mr.  Ernest  A.  Harris 

Miss  Mary  A.  Harris 

Mr.  Stephen  C.  Harris 

Mr.  Everett  S.  Hartwell 

N.  Darrell  Harvey,  M.D. 

Prof.  William  T.  Hastings 


LIST   OF    MEMBERS 


93 


Mr.  William  A.  Hathaway 
Miss  Caroline  Hazard 
Mr.  Rowland  Hazard 
Mr.  "riionias  G.  Hazard,  Jr, 
Mr.  Charles  F.  Hcartman 
Mrs.  W.  E.  Hcathcote 
Mr.  Bernon  E.  Helmc 
Mr.  John  Henshaw 
Mr.  Joseph  G.  Henshaw 
Miss  Mary  G.  Henshaw 
Mr.  Robert  VV.  Herrick 
Mr.  G.  Burton  Hihhert 
Mr.  William  A.  Hill 
Mr.  Frank  L.  Hinckley 
Mr.  Sumner  W.  Hinds 
Mr.  William  L.  Hodgman 
Mrs.  William  L.  Hodgman 
Mrs.  William  H.  Hoffman 
Mrs.  John  S.  Holbrook 
Mr.  George  |.  Holden 
Mrs.  John  W.  Holton 
Mr.  Charles  A.  Horton 
Mr.  E.  Harris  Howard,  Jr. 
Mr.  Frederic  W.  Howe 
Mr.  M.  A.  DeWolfe  Howe 
Mr.  Wallis  E.  Howe 
Mrs.  Richard  G.  Howland 
Mrs.  William  Erwin  Hoy 
Mrs.  George  H.  Huddy,  Jr. 
Mr.  Sidney  D.  Humphrey 
Mr.  Horatio  A.  Hunt 
Mr.  S.  Foster  Hunt 
Mrs.  Duncan  Hunter 
Mr.  George  Hurley 
Mr.  James  H.  Hurley 
Mr.  Richard  A.  Hurley 
Mr.  James  Hazen  Hyde 
Mr.  William  S.  Innis 
Mrs.  C.  Oliver  Iselin 
Mr.  Norman  M.  Isham 
Miss  Mary  A.  Jack 
Mr.  Benjamin  A.  Jackson 
Mrs.  Donald  E.  Jackson 
Mr.  Thomas  A.  [enckes 
Mr.  George  A.  Jepherson 


Mrs.  Edward  L.  Johnson 
George  F.  Johnson,  M.D. 
Mr.  William  C.  Johnson 
Mr.  William  L.  Joyce 
Dr.  Lewis  H.  Kalloch 
Mr.  Francis  B.  Kceney 
Mrs.  Ellsworth  L.  Kellcy 
Mr.  Howard  R.  Kent 
Mr.  Charles  H.  Keves 
Mr.  H,  Earle  Kimball 
Eugene  P.  King,  M.D, 
Mrs.  Eugene  P.  King 
Mr.  Victor  H.  King 
Lucius  C.  Kingman,  M.D. 
Mr.  C.  Prescott  Knight 
Mrs.  C.  Prescott  Knight 
Mr.  C.  Prescott  Knight,  Jr. 
Mrs.  C.  Prescott  Knight,  Jr. 
Mr.  Robert  L.  Knight 
Mrs.  Robert  L.  Knight 
Mr.  Russell  W.  Knight 
Mr.  Webster  Knight 
Mrs.  Webster  Knight 
Prof.  Harry  L.  Koopman 
Mr.  John  Krawczuk 
Mrs.  Henry  S.  Lanpher 
Mrs.  Dana  Lawrence 
Mr.  George  R.  Lawton 
Charles  H.  Leonard,  M.D. 
Miss  Grace  F.  Leonard 
Miss  Anna  L.  Lestradc 
Mrs.  Austin  T.  Lew 
Mr.  Dexter  L.  Lewis 
Mr.  George  H.  Lewis 
Mr.  Joseph  W.  Lewis 
Mr.  Ferdinand  A.  Lincoln 
Mrs.  Charles  Warren  Lippitt 
Mr.  Charles  Warren  Lippitt 
Mrs.  Frances  Pomeroy  Lippitt 
Mr.  Gorton  T.  Lippitt 
Hon.  Henry  F.  Lippitt 
Mr.  Arthur  B.  Lisle 
Mrs.  Arthur  B.  Lisle 
Mr.  Alden  L.  Littlefield 
Mr.  Charles  W.  Littlefield 


94 


RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 


Mr.  Ivory  Littlefield 
Rev.  Augustus  M.  Lord 
Mr.  T.  Rohlev  Louttit 
Mr.  W.  Easton  Louttit,  Jr. 
Mr.  David  B.  Lovell,  Jr. 
Mr.  Albert  E.  Lownes 
Mr.  Harold  C.  Lyman 
Mr.  Richard  E.  Lyman 
Mr.  William  A.  McAuslan 
Mrs.  William  A.  McAuslan 
Rev.  Lorenzo  C.  McCarthy 
Mr.  Kenneth  D.  MacColl 
Mr.  Norman  A.  MacColI 
Mr.  William  B.  MacColl 
Mr.  Arthur  M.  McCrillis 
Miss  Grace  E.  Macdonald 
Mrs.  T.  F.  L  McDonnell 
Mr.  Benjamin  M.  MacDougall 
Mr.  Charles  B.  Mackinney 
Mrs.  Herbert  E.  Maine 
Mrs.  William  L.  Manchester 
Mr.  Charles  C.  Marshall 
Mr.  Edgar  W.  Martin 
Mrs.  John  F.  Marvel 
Mr.  Fletcher  S.  Mason 
Mr.  Harold  Mason 
Mr.  John  H.  Mason 
Mrs.  William  B.  Mason 
Mrs.  George  S.  Mathews 
Mr.  Archibald  C.  Matteson 
Mr.  Frank  W.  Matteson 
Mr.  William  L.  Mauran 
Mrs.  William  L.  Mauran 
Mrs.  Frank  Evcritt  Maxwell 
Mr.  Harry  V.  Mayo 
Rev.  Charles  A.  Meader 
Mr.  W,  Granville  Meader 
Mrs.  Paul  A.  Merriam 
Mrs.  Charles  H.  Merriman 
Mrs.  E.  Bruce  Merriman 
Mr.  Harold  T.  Merriman 
Mr.  L  B.  Merriman 
Mrs.  L  B.  Merriman 
Mrs.  E.  T.  H.  Metcalf 
Mr.  G.  Pierce  Metcalf 


Mr.  Houghton  P.  Metcalf 
Mrs.  L  Harris  Metcalf 
Hon.  Jesse  H.  Metcalf 
Mrs.  Jesse  H.  Metcalf 
Mr.  Stephen  O.  Metcalf 
Lt.  Col.  Willis  C.  Metcalf 
Mr.  William  Davis  Miller 
Mrs.  William  Davis  Miller 
Mr.  George  L.  Miner 
Hon.  Louis  Monast 
Mr.  G.  A.  Moriarty,  Jr. 
Mrs.  William  Robert  Morrison 
Mrs.  Bentley  W.  Morse 
Mr.  Jarvis  M.  Morse 
Mr.  Edward  S.  Moulton 
Mrs.  Edward  S.  Moulton 
William  M.  Muncy,  M.D, 
Walter  L.  Munro,  M.D. 
Prof.  Wilfred  H.  Munro 
Mr.  Addison  P.  Munroe 
Mrs.  Addison  P.  Munroe 
Mr.  Walter  M.  Murdie 
Mrs.  James  A.  Nealey 
Mr.  Barnes  Newberry 
Mr.  George  P.  Newell 
Mr.  Louis  C.  Newman 
Mrs.  Louis  C.  Newman 
Miss  Eliza  Taft  Newton 
Mr.  Roger  Hale  Newton 
Mr.  Paul  C.  Nicholson 
Mr.  Samuel  M.  Nicholson 
Mr.  Elmer  D.  Nickerson 
Ira  Hart  Noyes,  M.D. 
Miss  Mary  Olcott 
Mrs.  Frank  F.  Olney 
Mr.  Erling  C.  Ostby 
Mr.  Harald  W.  Ostby 
Mr.  Harry  C.  Owen 
Mr.  Frederick  A.  Paige 
Rev.  Anthony  R.  Parshley 
Mr.  Edmund  H.  Parsons 
Mr.  G.  Richmond  Parsons 
Mrs.  G.  Richmond  Parsons 
Miss  Marv  H.  Parsons 
H.  G.  Partridge,  M.D. 


LIST  OF   MEMBERS 


95 


Mr.  Frederick  S.  Peck 

Mrs.  Frederick  S.  Peck 

Mr.  Stephen  I.  Peck 

Mr.  William  H.  Peck 

Mr.  William  T.  Peck 

Mrs.  F.  H.  Peckham 

Kathcrine  F.  Peckham,  M.D. 

Mr.  Augustus  R.  Pcirce 

Mr.  Clarence  E.  Peirce 

Mr.  George  E.  Pcirce 

Mrs.  George  E.  Peirce 

Mr.  John  P.  B.  Peirce 

Mr.  Thomas  A.  Peirce 

Mr.  Charles  M.  Perry 

Mr.  Howard  B.  Perry 

Most  Rev.  James  DeWolf  Perry 

Mr.  Marsden  }.  Perrv 

John  M.  Peters,  M.D. 

Mr.  Albert  N.  Peterson 

Mr.  Arthur  L.  Philbrick 

Mr.  Charles  H.  Philbrick 

Mr.  Arthur  S.  Phillips 

Mrs.  Frank  N.  Phillips 

Mrs.  Gilbert  A.  Phillips 

Mr.  Emil  G.  Pieper 

Mr.  Byron  A.  Pierce 

Mr.  Thomas  L.  Pierce 

Herman  C.  Pitts,  M.D. 

Mr.  Albert  H.  Poland 

Mrs.  William  H.  Poole 

Lewis  B.  Porter,  M.D. 

Prof.  Albert  K.  Potter 

Dr.  Arthur  M.  Potter 

Mr.  B.  Thomas  Potter 

Mrs.  Dexter  B.  Potter 

Mrs.  T.  I.  Hare  Powel 

Mr.  Howard  W.  Preston 

Mrs.  Howard  W.  Preston 

Mr.  Robert  S.  Preston 

Miss  Evelyn  M.  Purdy 

Helen  C.  Putnam,  M.D. 

Mr.  Patrick  H.  Quinn 

Mrs.  George  R.  Ramsbottom 

Mr.  Walter  E.  Ranger 

Mrs.  C.  K.  Rathbone 


Hon.  Elmer  J.  Rathbun 
Mrs.  Irving  E.  Raymond 
Mrs.  Charles  O.  Read 
Mrs.  Joseph  H.  Regester 
Mr.  Charles  C.  Remington 
Rhode  Island  State  College 
Mr.  Dana  Rice 
Mr.  Herbert  W.  Rice 
Mr.  John  B.  Richards 
Gen.  John  J.  Richards 
Miss  Louise  Richardson 
Mr.  Henry  Isaac  Richmond 
Mrs.  George  W.  H.  Ritchie 
Mr.  Leonard  M.  Robinson 
Mr.  Louis  E.  Robinson 
Mr.  Robert  Rodman 
Rev.  Arthur  Rogers 
Mrs.  Mabel  K.  Rogers 
Mr.  Henry  W.  Sackett 
Mr.  Kenneth  Shaw  Safe 
Mrs.  T.  Shaw  Safe 
Mrs.  Harold  P.  Salisbury 
Mr.  Henry  Salomon 
Mr.  Henry  T.  Samson 
Mrs.  G.  Coburn  Sanctuary 
Mrs.  George  C.  Scott 
Mrs.  David  S.  Seaman 
Mr.  Henry  M.  Sessions 
Miss  Ellen  D.  Sharpe 
Mr.  Henry  D.  Sharpe 
Mrs.  Frederick  E.  Shaw 
Mrs.  George  St.  J.  Sheffield 
Mr.  Charles  Shepard 
Mr.  Clarence  E.  Sherman 
Mr.  Edward  A.  Sherman 
Mr.  Harry  B.  Sherman 
Mrs.  Arthur  F.  Short 
Mrs.  Philip  B.  Simonds 
Mrs.  Charles  Sisson 
Mr.  William  A.  Slade 
Mr.  Henry  L.  Slader 
Mrs.  Charles  H.  Smith 
Edgar  B.  Smith,  M.D. 
Mrs.  Edwin  C.  Smith 
Joseph  Smith,  M.D. 


96 


RHODE    ISLAND    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY 


Mr.  Nathaniel  W.  Smith 
R.  Morton  Smith,  M.D. 
Mr.  Walter  B.  Smith 
Mr.  Ward  E.  Smith 
Mrs.  Whitney  Smith 
Mr.  Sylvester  M.  Snow 
Mr.  Robert  L.  Spencer 
Mr.  William  A.  Spicer 
Hon.  Ernest  L.  Sprague 
Mrs.  James  G.  Staton 
Hon.  Charles  F.  Stearns 
Mr.  Walter  H.  Stearns 
Mr.  Thomas  E.  Steere 
Mr.  Oscar  Frank  Stetson 
Mr.  Clinton  F.  Stevens 
Mr.  Frederick  A.  Stevens 
Miss  Maud  Lyman  Stevens 
Mr.  Edward  Clinton  Stiness 
Mr.  Henry  Y.  Stites 
Mr.  George  A.  Stone 
Mrs.  Charles  C.  Stover 
Mr.  Charles  T.  Straight 
Mr.  H.  Nelson  Street 
Mr.  Henry  A.  Street 
Mr.  Rush  Sturges 
Hon.  Arthur  P.  Sumner 
Mr.  Frank  H.  Swan 
Mrs.  Gardner  T.  Swarts 
Hon.  John  W.  Sweeney 
Miss  Louisa  A.  Sweetland 
Mr.  Robert  W.  Taft 
Mr.  Royal  C.  Taft 
Benjamin  F.  Tefft,  M.D. 
Mr.  Charles  F.  Thatcher 
A'liss  Jane  Arnold  Thomas 
Mrs.  J.  P.  Thorndike 
Mrs.  Frank  W.  Tillinghast 
Mr.  John  A.  Tillinghast 
Louisa  Paine  Tingley,  M.D. 
Mr.  F.  L.  Titsworth 
Mrs.  William  O.  Todd 
Mrs.  Stacv  Tolman 


Mr.  Frederick  E.  Tripp 

Mr.  William  J.  Tully 

Mrs.  Albert  C.  Tyler 

Mr.  D.  Berkeley  Updike 

Mr.  William  H.  Vanderbilt 

Mr.  William  A.  Viall 

Mrs.  Arthur  M.  Walker 

Mr.  A.  Tingley  Wall 

Mrs.  Maurice  K.  Washburn 

Mr.  Frederick  V.  Waterman 

Mrs.  Lewis  A.  Waterman 

Prof.  Arthur  E.  Watson 

Mr.  Byron  S.  Watson 

Mr.  Edward  L.  Watson 

Mr.  John  J.  Watson 

Mr.  W.  L.  Watson 

Mrs.  William  B.  Weeden 

Mr.  Edward  H.  Weeks 

Mrs.  Edward  H.  Weeks 

Mr.  Richard  Ward  Greene  Welling 

Mr.  Herbert  ].  Wells 

Mr.  fohn  H.  Wells 

Mr.  Edward  H.  West 

Mr.  Thomas  H.  West,  Jr. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Nicholson  White 

Mr.  Willis  H.  White 

Mrs.  Gerald  Whitman 

Mrs.  Henry  A.  Whitmarsh 

Mr.  Roy  F.  Whitney 

Mr.  Frederick  Bernavs  Wiener 

Mr.  Frank  J.  Wilder' 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  K.  Wilkinson 

Mr.  Daniel  L.  Willmarth,  Jr. 

Miss  Amey  L.  Willson 

Mr.  Percy  J.  Wilson 

Mr.  William  A.  Wing 

Mr.  Wilson  G.  Wing 

Mrs.  George  P.  Winship 

A4rs.  C.  Howard  Wood 

Mr.  Carlos  G.  Wright 

Mr.  Nathan  M.  Wright 

Mr.  Lawrence  C.  Wroth 


Roger  Williams  Press        r^A» 


%' 


E.  A.  Johnson  Co. 


PROVIDENCE 


I     Rhode    Island 

Historical  Society 
Collections 


Vol.  XXV 


OCTOBER,  1932 


No.  4 


THE 


[N=z] 


-Ifland  Gazette. 


WEDNESDAY,    O  c  t  f>  b  e  r    4.      17^2. 


FOREIGN    A  F  FA  I  R  S. 

Edinburgh,  July  i. 


ESTERDAY  died 
the  Re>;. .  ^r.  John  Gri-' 
erfon,.  one  of  tUe  Mlni- 
ftcrs  of  the  Gofpel  in 
this  Place,  after  a  long 
Indifpofiiion.  He  was  a 
pious  good  Man,  an  ex- 
cellent Preacher,  and  once 
Moderator  to  the  Gene- 
ral Aflenjbljr  of  this  Na- 


tional Church.   . 
Wbit shall,    July  ir. 


..,    ^_.,   ...     This    Bzf    arrived  an 

F.xprcfs  from  jhc  Eatl  of  Waldgrave,  his  Ma- 
jetty's  Enfibaffador  Extraordinary  and  Plenipoten- 
tiary at  the  Court  of  Ftancc,  with  Letters  from 
Mr.  Reen,  his  klajcfty's  MinLftet  Plcnipotenti- 
3rjr  ,at  Sevel^,  dated  July  the  4th,  N.  S.  giv- 
iDg  an  account,  that  on  the  J7th  of  Uft  Mouih, 
'>e  S))ani(h  Gallics  were  got  inco  the  P  •  of 
1.  th'        'i  V        '   •        Lear         ^ 


Tu|ki;,  and  Provifions  in  proportion,  to  employ 
the  Spjniardi  ail  the  .Month  afjulv  before  they 
carf  make  thcmichcs  compJjaMv  Milters  of'Oran, 

h>Hijn,  Juy  17.  T;icrc  arc  Letters  in  Town 
w^c/i  fay  the  Spaniards  were  invited  by  the 
M<|ors  into  B  r  lary,  whi'.h  is  not  unlikely,  by 
leafon  they  carried  great  Numhcis  of  fpare  Arms 
wi|h  thenn.  if  it  be  fo,  the  Mo»rs  propofe 
to 'themlelves  and  their  Pvfterity  more  Peace, 
Qjiictnels,  a-d  lafting  Hap  nefs  than  ever  they 
cnry'd  under  th>.ir  Turl^iili  Governors. 
-  The  follcwirgPr-^fnotioiis  havehtcly  been  made 
in  the-  Fia^s  ot   h's   Mijdfy's   Navy,   viz. 

Sir  Charles  Wager,  Vice  Admiral  of  the  Red, 
made   Admiral    ot    tiie   Blue. 

j^ir  G'-'ori^c  Walton,  Vice  Admiral  of  the  White, 
injde    Vice  Admiral   of  the  Red. 

Salmi^n  Moriis,  Eiq-,  Vies  Admiral  of  the  Blue, 
nifde  Vice-Admiral    o{'  tne    White. 

fhiljp  Ovend'fh,   Elq  i     Rtar  Admiral  of  th« 
Rpti,  made  Vicc-Admiial  of   itie  Blue. 

|ohn  B-lchirr,  Efq  i   Rear  Alm'ral  of  the  White, 
tnide   Rc-r;Adm'    '  of  th    Kid. 

C    3»'     ">  u?  R         "dmi'iloft'     Blur 


IHK  KHODi;   1ST. AND  GA/F.I   IE   OF    17.^2/ 


From  original  in  tfiMLlf/>rifi)\'/jji  jJ/l 
Rhode    hland    Uistorird'r^/riw42 


\ 


Issued  Quarterly 


68  Waterman  Strf.kt,  Providence,  Rhode  Island 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

The  Rhode  Island  Gazette, 

by  Robert  W.  Kenny    .  .  .      Cover  and  97 

Thomas  W,  Dorr's  Escape, 

by  Eleanor  W.  Talbot  Smith        .  .  ,107 

Genealogical  Notes, 

by  Edward  H.  West 109 

Block  Island  Accounts, 

by  G.  Rothwell  Burgess       .  .  .  .        110 

Hoyle  Gravestones     .  .  .  .  .  .112 

New  Publications  of  Rhode  Island  Interest  .  .        113 

Seals  of  the  Rhode  Island  Admiralty  Courts, 

by  Frederick  Bernays  Wiener       .  .  .        114 

Military  Warrant  of  1778, 

Communicated  by  A.  H.  Armington     .    "      .        115 

Fort  Flags         .  .  .  .  .  .  .116 

Westconnaug  Purchase, 

Communicated  bv  T.  G.  Foster    ...  .        121 


RHODE 
HISTORICAL 


ISLAND 


SOCIETY 


■'*«S|l/j|Blllli« 


COLLECTIONS 


Vol.  XX\' 


OCTOBER,   1932 


No.  4 


William  Davis  Miller,  Presidetit   Gilbert  A.  Harrington,  Treasurer 
Howard  W.  Preston,  Secretary  Howard  M.  Chapin,  Librarian 


The  Society  assumes  no  responsibi]it\'  for  the  statements  or  the  opinions 
of  contributors. 


The  Rhode  Island  Gazette  of  1732 

B\  Robert  W.  Kenny 

On  Wednesday,  September  27,  1732,  the  Rhode  Island 
Gazette^  the  colony's  first  newspaper,  appeared  on  the 
streets  of  Newport.  It  was  probably  a  modest  fcjur  page 
sheet  which  was  "Printed  and  Sold  by  James  Franklin,  at 
his  Printing  House  under  the  Town-School-House,  where 
Advertisements  anci  Letters  to  the  Author  are  taken  in." 
James  Franklin,  (  1696-1735),  the  first  man  to  bring  a 
printing  press  to  Rhode  Islanci,  had  settled  in  Newport 
sometime  in  1726.  The  Gazette  was  not  his  first  journal- 
istic venture,  iov  he  had  had  a  brief,  but  acrimonious  expe- 
rience as  a  printer  and  editor  in  Massachusetts.  Returning 
to  Boston,  in  March  1717,  from  his  apprenticeship  in 
London,  James  Franklin  had  been  commissioned  by  the 
postmaster,  William  Brooker,  to  print  the  Boston  Gazette. 


98  rhodp:  island  historical  society 

After  forty  numbers  had  been  printed,  Philip  Musgrave 
was  made  postmaster,  and  to  Franklin's  dismay  he  awarded 
the  printing  contract  to  Samuel  Kneeland.  Taking  advan- 
tage of  the  excited  condition  of  Massachusetts  over  the 
"inoculation  war"  Franklin  then  started  the  New  England 
Courant,  August  6,  1721.  The  merits  of  inoculation  as  a 
preventative  of  small-pox  had  divided  the  colony  into  two 
hostile  factions,  the  ministers  supporting  the  practice  and 
the  "liberals"  opposing  it  as  "unscientific."  Under  Frank- 
lin's editorship  the  Courant  became  the  chief  "liberal" 
organ,  and  devoted  much  of  its  space  to  attacking  the 
Mathers,  Cotton,  and  Increase,  who  preached  the  virtues 
of  inoculation  both  in  and  out  of  the  pulpit.  The  attack 
must  have  been  a  telling  one,  for  Cotton  Mather  declared 
the  paper  to  be:  "A  wickedness  never  parallel'd  anywhere 
upon  the  Face  of  the  Earth !  "^ 

The  Courant  continued  its  pugnacious  course,  ever  ciiti- 
cal  of  those  in  authority.  In  June  1722,  Franklin  was 
jailed  for  charging  the  colonial  officials  with  negligence 
in  suppressing  piracy.  In  January  of  the  next  year  the 
court  forbade  him  to  publish  his  paper  unless  it  was  super- 
vised by  the  Secretary  of  the  Province.  In  spite  of  such 
devices  as  bringing  the  paper  out  in  Benjamin's  name,  the 
Courant  did  not  flourish,  and  disposing  of  it  sometime  in 
1726  Franklin  brought  his  printing  press  and  his  talent 
for  argument  into  Rhode  Island.  In  1727,  he  began  pub- 
lishing such  pamphlets  as  offered  themselves,  sermons  and 
the  Rhode  Island  Ahuanac;  in  1731  he,  as  the  official 
printer,  put  forth  part  of  an  edition  of  the  laws  of  the 
colony.  Although  he  has  been  credited  with  first  publish- 
ing Bishop  Berkeley's  Alciphron  or  77; <?  M'nute  Philoso- 
pher,  there  is  insufficient  evidence  for  this.  His  known 
publications  of  all  sorts  are  listed  in  Rhode  Island  Imprints, 
published  in  1914. 


^ Diary  of  Cotton  Mather,  Collection  of  Mass.  Hist.  Soc.  7  ser.  VIII, 
1912,  366. 


JAMES   franklin's   PRINTING    PRESS 

Now  ill  Mechanics  Building.  Boston.   .Mass. 


100  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

The  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society  has  photostatic 
copies  of  all  numbers  of  the  R/iode  Island  Gazette  extant: 
fifteen  in  number.  Five  others  are  known  to  have  been 
printed.  The  first  issue,  lost  unfortunately,  must  have 
contained  James  Franklin's  statement  of  principles,  for  in 
Number  Five,  October  25,  1732,  Wm.  K — g —  writes 
praising  the  editor's  stand. 

"If  vou  suffer  no  Personal  Scandal  to  have  Place  in  your  Paper 
nor  make  yourself  a  Party  to  any  religious  Disputes,  there  will 
be  no  Room  for  Exceptions  against  you,  but  what  will  ly  equally 
against  all  vour  Bretheren  in  this  Town,  unless  you  should 
appear  duller  than  anv  of  them,  which  yet  is  no  very  easy 
Thing." 

Readers  are  also  warned  not  to  coniplain  if:  "the  Paper 
is  not  always  full  of  important  events,  which  Times  of 
general  Peace  and  Tranquility  do  not  afford."  Tack  of 
seasonable  news  appeared  to  be  one  of  the  editor's  diffi- 
culties. Numbers  Two  and  Four  of  the  Gazette  contained 
four  pages;  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  presume  that  Number 
One  did  also.  The  rest  however  are  only  two  pages  each. 
The  frequently  printed  request  of  the  editor  for  contribu- 
tions, and  the  insertion  of  foreign  news  of  doubtful  interest 
to  Rhode  Islanders  would  seem  to  indicate  that  James 
perhaps  regretted  his  stand  for  conservative  journalism 
which  deprived  his  sheet  of  the  piquancy  which  character- 
ized the  columns  of  the  New  England  Courant.  Foreign 
news  at  times  occupied  more  than  half  the  paper;  at  other 
times  none  at  all  was  included.  This  would  seem  to  point 
to  the  non-arrival  in  Newport  of  ships  with  English  news- 
papers. Much  space  was  devoted  to  the  political  moves  of 
the  Papacy  and  the  Catholic  princes  on  the  continent.  A 
letter  from  a  correspondent  in  Rome  to  his  friend  in 
London,  obviously  reprinted  from  an  English  newspaper, 
is  typical  of  many.  It  recounts  a  project  to  put  the  Chevalier 
de  Saint  George,  the  old  Pretender,  on  the  throne  of  a  great 
north  African  kingdom.  The  advantages  enumerated  for 
this  plan  are:  Another  Catholic  monarch,  a  good  in  itself, 


THH  RHODE  ISLAND  CAZETTE  101 

freedom  from  the  attacks  of  the  Barbary  pirates,  and  finally 
augmentation  of  the  Papal  revenues.  The  tone  of  this 
dispatch  shows  great  concern  for  Protestant  supremacy, 
and  sex'eral  snnilar  pieces  would  seem  to  indicate  that  James 
Franklin  was  taking  full  advantage  of  the  anti-Catholic, 
anti-Stuart  feeling  in  the  colony. 

Other  foreign  items  would  seem  to  have  been  selected 
on  the  modern  journalistic  principle  of  "human  interest": 
the  overturning  of  a  wherry  on  the  Thames  with  the  drown- 
ing of  a  drunken  man,  a  street  brawl  in  Naples  between 
the  son  of  the  duke  d'Agapello  and  a  German  officer,  the 
wondrous  soldier  of  Metz,  whose  body  when  opened  by  a 
surgeon  disclosed  1250  stones  of  cherries,  plums,  and 
apricots,  and  the  death  in  London  of  the  Flying  Man  from 
bruises  he  received  in  his  attempt  to  fly  from  Greenwich 
steeple. 

Of  strictly  local  news  the  Gazette  doubtless  printed  all 
it  could,  but  there  never  were  more  than  a  half  dozen  items 
per  issue,  and  several  times  none  at  all.  By  far  the  most 
spectacular  event  in  Newport  during  the  short  life  of  the 
Gazette  w^as  the  escape,  in  his  wife's  clothing,  of  a  con- 
victed murderer: 

Yesterday  Night,  (October  10,  1732)  his  wife  and  child 
going  to  visit  him,  after  staying  about  half  an  Hour,  she  came 
to  the  outward  Door  of  the  Prison,  and  desir'd  the  Prison- 
Keeper  to  lend  her  a  Mugg  to  fetch  some  Milk  for  her  Hus- 
band; adding,  " 'Tis  no  Matter,  now  1  think  on't,  there's 
one  in  the  Room  with  him."  Presently  after  (the  Prisoner) 
having  put  on  his  Wife's  Cloak  and  Bonnet,  knock'd  at  the 
Door;  and  the  Prison-Keeper  letting  him  into  the  Priviledg'd 
Room,  he  walked  through  it  in  the  View  of  him  and  several 
others,  who  mistook  him  for  his  Wife.  The  Prison  Keeper 
going  immediately  to  lock  the  Inner  Doors,  found  his  Prisoner 
w\is  gone,  and  his  Wife  and  Child  left  in  the  Room  where  he 
was  conhn'd. 

Although  the  militia  was  called  out  and  all  citizens  were 
ordered  bv  doxernor  William  Wanton  to  "make  Hue  and 


102  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Cry"  the  condemned  man  was  not  recaptured,  at  least  in  so 
far  as  the  Gazette  took  notice  of  the  affair. 

On  October  25,  the  Gazette,  laconically  reported:  "We 
hear  that  the  Rev,  George  Barkley,  Dean  of  London- 
Derry,  has  given  his  P'arm  on  this  Island,  worth  about 
£3000,  to  Yale  College  in  Connecticut."  At  this  time  the 
future  bishop  was  preparing  to  return  to  England  after  his 
residence  of  nearly  three  years  in  the  colony,  a  residence 
which  was  extremely  fruitful  as  far  as  Newport  and 
Yale  College  were  concerned.  It  seems  a  bit  surprising 
that  so  generous  a  benefactor  should  depart  from  the  colony 
with  such  scant  journalistic  notice.  These  two  entries  are 
the  high  spots  of  interest  among  the  inevitable  death  and 
weather  notices.  New  England  people  even  then  were 
showing  that  preoccupation  with  the  weather  which 
prompted  Mark  Twain's  jest.  In  1732-33,  apparently 
there  was  considerable  justification  ^  for  towns  up  and  down 
the  coast  reported  extremely  low  temperatures.  In  Boston 
the  harbor  froze  so  solidly  that  ox  teams  were  driven  over 
the  ice  to  Charlestown,  and  people  walked  down  the  harbor 
to  Castle  Island,  at  what  is  now  City  Point.  Philadelphia 
items  reported  shipping  at  a  standstill  because  of  the  frozen 
Delaware  River.  An  epidemic  of  colds  which  struck  the 
town  in  the  late  fall  forced  the  suspension  of  services  at 
The  Church  of  England  and  North  Congregational  Meet- 
ing House,  both  pastors  being  "very  much  indisposed."  So 
too  was  the  editor  of  the  Gazette  who,  as  Tim  Truman, 
apologizes  to  his  readers  for  the  dullness  and  flatness  of 
his  paper,  blaming  part  of  it  on  the  weather. 

I  have  been  grievous!;-  seized  with  the  late  extraordinary 
Cold,  which  so  took  away  the  Gloss  of  my  Stile,  as  well  as 
obstructed  my  Thoughts,  that  I  believe  my  Readers  by  this 
Piece  perceive  mv  Disorder,  and  that  1  am  not  altogether  come 
to  yet. 

The  gloss  of  style  was  mostly  to  be  seen  in  essays  reminis- 
cent of  the  Spectator  and  Tatler  with  which  Franklin,  as 
Tim  Truman,  filled  the  columns  of  the  Gazette  when  little 


TIIK  RHODK  ISLAND  GAZKTTK  103 

real  news  was  available.  One  Cleverkin,  William  Freeborn 
of  Narragansett,  Tom  Trueman,  N.  N.  and  \Vm.  K — g — 
are  the  principal  contributors.  Doubtless  some  of  these 
essays  represent  genuine  reader  opinion  j  it  is  certainly  true, 
however,  that  Franklin  himself  wrote  some  of  them.  Wm. 
K — g —  writes  so  completely  and  sympathetically  of  the 
difficulties  of  conducting  a  paper  in  a  small  town  that  one 
feels  justified  in  ascribing  the  authorship  of  his  letter  to 
the  editor.  The  narrow  circle  of  readers  in  the  colony,  he 
writes,  the  paucity  of  social  diversions,  and  the  lack  of 
leisure  which  prevents  readers  from  interesting  themselves 
in  the  genteel  arts  and  sciences  make  the  editor's  task  a 
difficult  one.  Literary-minded  readers  will  be  prone  to 
compare  the  Gazette  with  The  Spectator;  the  problems  of 
journalism  in  Rhode  Island  and  London  are  compared,  and 
Wm.  K — g — -  closes  by  suggesting  that  subjects  of  a  politi- 
cal and  economic  flavor  might  be  better  suited  to  the  habits 
and  interests  of  Newport  readers.  Several  issues  later 
W^illiam  Freeborn  contributes  a  lengthy  panegyric  on  the 
excellencies  of  Rhode  Island  government: 

When  I  rcricct  on  our  happy  Condition  in  this  Colony,  and 
the  most  invaluable  Priviledges  we  enjoy  at  the  easiest  and 
cheapest  Rate  imaginable,  I  cannot  sufficiently  admire  the 
Wisdom  and  Felicity  of  our  Constitution,  nor  enough  applaud 
the  Discretion  and  Frugalit\-  with  which  our  Affairs  have  all 
along   been   managed. 

Rotation  of  office,  absence  of  slavery  and  oppression,  ancf 
the  utmost  freedom  of  conscience  move  William  Freeborn 
to  the  poetic  close: 

"Hail,  happy  native  Land!    But  I  forbear 
What  other  Countries  must  with  Kn\y  hear/' 

The  strictly  literary  articles  in  the  Gazette  are  highly 
imitative  of  current  English  stvle.  The  graceful  essayist, 
Cleverkin,  warns  against  reproving  faults  in  public,  and  in 
the  manner  of  Addison  brings  classical  literature  to  his  aid 
by  citing  copitjusly  frt)m  Seneca  anci  Plutarch.    Tom  True- 


104  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

man's  ironic  defense  of  Tattling  is  genteel  in  the  extreme. 
Tattling  is  a  boon  to  those  he  refers  to  as  the  fair  sex. 

Their  Work  is  a  Burden  to  them  at  Home,  hut  taking  it 
abroad  with  them,  hearing  one  Story  and  telling  fifty,  gives 
Activity  and  Dexterity  to  their  Fingers,  and  adds  an  exquisite 
sharpness  to  their  Needles. 

The  Gazette  for  January  25,  1732,  prints  a  domestic 
fable  from  the  Pennsylvania  Gazette  signed  by  Anthony 
Afterwrit.  The  author,  as  a  bachelor,  was  very  contented. 
His  present  wife  was  to  have  a  dowry  of  £200  if  her  choice 
of  a  husband  pleased  her  father.  Anthony  did  not  receive 
the  £200,  but  was  happy,  nevertheless,  until  Mistress 
Afterwrit  got  a  strong  inclination  to  play  the  gentlewoman. 
His  modest  furnishings  were  discarded,  one  by  one,  in 
favor  of  much  more  elegant  articles.  Anthony  feared  for 
his  credit  among  the  townspeople;  he  could  not  afford 
such  elegance.  The  good  wife  going  on  a  visit  to  some  rela- 
tives, Anthony  sells  the  new  carriage,  the  mirror,  the  china, 
and  discharges  the  maid.  Thus  his  credit  is  restored,  and 
this  letter  in  the  Gazette  warns  his  wife  to  expect,  upon  her 
return,  to  live  upon  a  far  more  modest  scale.  The  tone  of 
Anthony  Afterwrit's  preachment  is  so  typical  of  Poor 
Richard  and  his  penny-pinching  philosophy  that  it  is  not 
surprising  to  hnd  that  Benjamin  Franklin  was  the  author. 
Smythe,  in  his  edition  of  Benjamin  Franklin's  works  (Vol. 
XI,  p.  182),  definitely  identities  Afterwrit  as  Franklin. 
The  brothers  had  settled  their  grievances  by  1 73 1  and  were 
freely  reprinting  items  from  each  other's  papers.  Such 
borrowing  was  very  common:  indeed  it  appeared  to  be 
necessary  many  times  in  order  to  have  sufficient  material 
for  an  issue. 

The  colony  had  also  two  avowed  poets.  One  Will  Rusty 
in  octosyllabic  couplets,  characterized  by  stamping  metre, 
vented  his  broad  humor  in  a  poem  entitled  The  Scatter- 
waters.  The  other  bard,  a  gentleman  of  much  more  sensi- 
bility, preferred  to  remain  anonymous.  His  theme  was 
love's  ravages,  and  his  vehicle  was  the  heroic  couplet. 


THE  RHODK  ISLAND  GAZETTK  105 

Mv  anxious  Hours  roll  heavilv  away, 
Depriv'd  of  Sleep  by  Night,  of  Rest  by  Day: 
My  Soul  no  Respite  from  her  Suffrings  knows, 
And  sees  no  End  of  her  eternal  Woes. 

His  mistress  is  conventionally  charged  with  cruelty  and 
indifference,  in  contrast  to  his  sentiment  to  her, 

You  know  m\'  Passion  is  sincere  and  true, 
I  love  you  to  Excess,  you  know  I  do. 

Despite  this  touch  of  anti-climax  Newport's  love-struck 
poet  swears  eternal  loyalty  to  his  love  as  he  closes  the 
lament. 

ril  not  resign  you  'till  my  latest  Breath, 
I'll  trace  all  Danger,  run  on  an\'  Death. 

The  advertisements  and  notices  of  any  colonial  news- 
paper have  great  interest  today;  those  of  the  Gazette  are 
no  exceptions.  Lotteries  appeared  to  be  the  commonest 
means  of  disposing  of  real  estate,  and  fourteen  such  notices 
appeared  in  the  fifteen  numbers  of  the  Gazette  which  have 
come  down  to  us.  The  escape  of  run-away  slaves  was 
announced  and  rewards  offered.  It  was  on  December  14, 
1732,  that  James  Franklin  published  the  Rhode  Island 
Almanack  for  the  year  1733,  fitted  to  the  meridian  of 
Newport.  Notices  of  its  publication  had  appeared  regularly 
for  some  weeks  preceding  its  appearance.  As  his  more 
illustrious  brother  Benjamin  published  Poor  Richard's 
Almanac,  so  authorship  of  the  Rhode  Island  one  was 
ascribed  to  Poor  Robin.  Custom  house  notices  of  the  arrival 
and  departure  of  ships  give  evidence  of  Newport's  thriving 
maritime  trade.  The  average  number  of  ships  clearing  the 
port  was  seven  per  week  during  the  life  of  the  Gazette. 
Names  prominent  in  Rhode  Island  shipping  history  are 
thus  recorded  in  the  paper:  Tillinghast,  Brown,  Coggeshall, 
Anthony,  Howland,  Cofiin,  Brenton,  Rodman  and  others. 

An  advertisement  which  was  indicative  of  the  editor's 
difficulties  appeareci  on  Januar\'  1  1,  1733. 


106  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

N<i.  13  of  this  Paper  concludes  a  Quarter.  Those  who  have 
taken  it  from  the  Beginning  are  desir'd  to  pav  their  Monev 
to  John  Franklin  of  Boston,  or  James  Franklin  of  Newport; 
the  Continuance  of  it  depending  on  punctual  Quarterly  l'a\- 
ments,  or  a  greater  Number  of  Subscribers. 

The  paper  was  in  financial  straits.  Perhaps  the  venture 
was  too  ambitious.  At  that  time  all  of  Newport  County 
numbered  but  few  more  than  six  thousand  people.  Scarcity 
of  paid  advertising,  then  as  now,  spelled  the  doom  of  many 
a  newspaper.  Boston,  a  far  larger  community,  was  sup- 
porting two  papers  at  the  time  with  no  little  difficulty,  and 
the  printers  there  had  a  considerable  amount  of  political 
prmtmg  to  augment  then-  scanty  journalistic  revenue.  The 
paper  was  probably  well  read,  but  Yankee  thrift  operated  to 
circulate  one  copy  through  many  hands  j  this  does  not  make 
for  prosperous  editors.  The  last  number  preserved  today. 
Number  20,  is  dated  March  1,  1  733,  but  we  know  that  the 
Gazette's  final  issue  was  on  May  24th  of  the  same  year. 
James  Franklin  died  in  February  of  1735,  and  his  wife, 
an  able  and  ambitious  woman,  attempted  to  revive  the  paper 
but  with  no  success.  Not  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century  was  Rhode  Island  to  have  a  permanent  newspaper, 
and  it  owed  its  existence  to  James  Franklin,  Jr.,  son  of  our 
pioneer  journalist,  who  in  1758  founded  the  Nezvpor/ 
Mercury.  The  printing  press  which  James  Franklin 
brought  with  him  from  England  when  he  set  up  as  a  printer 
in  Boston  and  later  brought  with  him  to  Newport  was 
preserved  for  many  years  in  the  office  of  the  Mercury.  In 
1790,  an  attempt  was  made  to  sell  it  for  one  hundred  dol- 
lars. The  sale  was  not  completed,  for  no  one  could  verify 
it  as  the  one  on  which  the  illustrious  Benjamin  had  worked 
while  serving  his  unwilling  apprenticeship  to  his  brother 
James.  The  press  is  now  on  exhibition  in  Mechanics  Hall, 
Boston. 

ThtMarylafid  Gazette  has  been  selected  for  comparison 
with  Franklin's  paper  because  both  served  communities  of 
approximately  equal  population,  Annapolis  being  nearly 


THOMAS  W.  dork's  KSCAPE  107 

the  size  of  Newport;  and  like  it,  a  shipping  center  of  impor- 
tance. The  following  similarities  are  noted:  Both  print 
much  foreign  news  in  default  of  local  items.  Both  print 
colonial  proclamations  in  full,  both  feature  letters  from 
readers  tt)  the  editor,  generally  on  pseudo-literary  topics 
imitative  of  Addison's  Spectator  papers.  The  poetry  in  both 
is  indifferent  stuff,  generally  in  heroic  couplets.  The  adver- 
tisements in  both  papers  feature  runaway  slaves,  almanacs, 
''  and  lotteries.  For  crispness  of  style  the  Rhode  Island 
paper  is  not  inferior  to  the  southern  one.  The  failure  of 
the  Gazette  was  regrettable,  but  in  all  fairness  we  may  con- 
clude that  the  times  and  not  James  Franklin  were  out  of 
ioint. 


Refe 


re  nee  s 


The  originals  of  the  RlujJe  Island  Gazette  are  located  as  follows: 
Rhode  Island  Historical  Societv:  No.  2. 

Massachusetts  Historical  Society:  Nos.  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  11,  12,  13. 

Mr.  Edward  A.  Sherman:  Nos'.   15,  17,  19,  20. 

There  is  a  photostat  hie  in  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society  Library. 

Extracts  of  local  interest  fnjni  the  Rhode  hland  Gazette  were  printed 
in  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Soriety  Collections  for  October,  1923  ;  and 
-April,  1932. 

Thomas,  I.:  History  of  l^rinting  in  America. 

Kane,  Hope:  janies  Franklin,  Senior,  Printer  of  Boston  and  Newport. 

Arnold,  S.  G.:   History  of  Rhode  Island. 

Bayles,  R.  M.:    History  of  Newport  Count\-. 

Hammett,  C.  E.:  Bibliographv  of  Newport. 


Thomas  W.  Dorr's  Escape 

1  he  manner  in  which  Thomas  Dorr  was  safely  taken  out 
of  the  State,  when  liable  to  arrest  for  causing  the  Dorr  War: 

Samuel  Slater  Greene  was  the  namesake  of  Samuel 
Slater  who  established  the  first  cotton  mill,  in  Pawtucket, 
Rhode  Island,  and  was  brought  up  in  his  family. 


108  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

For  the  greater  part  of  his  life  he  was  agent  for  the 
cotton  mills  in  Bernon  and  Warden  of  St.  James  Episcopal 
Church  there,  of  which  my  father,  Rev.  Baylies  P.  Talbot, 
was  for  twenty  years  the  rector. 

Mr.  Greene  was  a  gifted  mathematician,  a  somewhat 
stern  but  just  man,  whom  everyone  respected. 

When  the  Dorr  War  occurred  troops  were  stationed 
along  the  Blackstone  Valley  seeking  to  capture  Thomas 
Dorr.   Some  of  them  were  quartered  in  St.  James  Church. 

Thomas  Dorr  managed  to  reach  Bernon  without  being 
discovered  and  Crawford  Allen  of  Providence  and  Mr. 
Greene  concealed  him  in  the  back  of  the  latter's  carryall, 
took  the  front  seat  themselves  and  proceeded  to  drive 
leisureh'  through  the  village. 

A  sentinel  soon  caused  them  to  halt  and  said  to  Mr. 
Greene,  "Have  you  seen  anything  of  Mr.  Dorrr" 

"Yes,"  answered  Mr.  Greene  pointing  with  his  thumb 
over  his  shoulder,  "Back  there  a  little  ways." 

The  unsuspecting  sentinel  thanked  him,  and  the  carryall, 
drawn  by  one  of  the  huge  bay  horses  such  as  Mr.  Greene 
always  drove,  passed  on  and  over  the  State  line  without 
further  challenge. 

Years  after,  Mr.  Greene  told  m\-  mother  of  this  occur- 
rence which  I  have  never  seen  mentioned  in  any  account 
of  the  Dorr  War. 

Eleanor  W.  Talbot  Smith, 
June  22nd,  1932.  (Mrs.  Arba  Dike  Smith), 

Chatham,  New  Jersey. 


109 


Genealogical  Notes 

By  Edward  H.  West. 

TALMAN 

The  following  extract  from  the  Portsmouth,  R.I.  Land 
Evidence  shows  that  Peter  Talman  had  one  less  daughter 
than  the  lists  of  his  children  generally  have. 

Received  of  Ann  Potter,  wife  of  William  Potter,  four 
and  twenty  shillings,  which  is  for  Twelve  acres  of  land  at 
Least  or  more  according  to  quallity,  which  was  granted 
unto  her  son  Preserved  Brayton,  he  being  heir  to  his  father, 
Stephen  Brayton,  dec.  belonging  unto  his  freehold,  by  the 
Town  of  Portsmouth  at  a  meeting  of  the  free  inhabitants, 
the  23  of  the  1 2th  month  1 693-4.  I  say  Received  by  me  the 
21st  of  the  Second  month  called  April  1694. 

John  Anthony  Town  Treasurer.  (  R.  L  L.  E.  L542. ) 

This  shows  that  Ann  Talman  who  married  Stephen 
Brayton  in  1679,  married,  as  her  second  husband,  William 
Potter. 


WILCOX 

The  following  proves  that  Edward  Wilcox  was  the 
father  of  Daniel  Wilcox. 

Daniel  Wilcox  to  John  Briggs — all  my  Right,  title, 
claims  or  interest  unto  any  parcel  of  land  granted  within 
the  limits  of  the  town  of  Portsmouth,  which  was  my  fathers 
Edward  Wilcox.  13th,  2nd  mo.  1660.  (  R.  I.  Land  Evi- 
dence, 1-16. ) 


110  RHODK  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

"R.  D.  D.  His  book  And  pen" 

Conniiunicated  by  G.  Rothwell  Burgess. 

In  roaming  around  Block  Islanci  a  number  of  years  ago 
I  chanced  to  find  in  a  long  abandoned  shed  an  old  account 
book  inscribed  as  above,  but  with  the  full  name.  It  was 
dated  "Newshorham"  July  the  27th,  1837.  His  entries 
give  us  an  idea  of  prices  and  goods  of  nearly  1 00  years  ago. 
This  man  kept  a  store  in  the  rear  part  of  his  ancestral  home 
and  farmed. 

On  one  day  he  sold  a  silk  handkerchief  for  15  ctsj  one 
pare  of  glass  lamps,  i6-^  and  loaned  "3  shillings  cash,  50 
cts."  On  another  he  sold  a  hat  for  three  shillings  50  cts^ 
and  2  bushels  of  potatoes  6  shil,  1 .00. 

For  "3  days  tuging  and  harvesting"  he  paid  $1.25.  (  And 
tugging  was  rightly  named — it  was  digging  out  peat  for 
fires).  Caleb  harvested  two  days  and  was  paid  50  cents, 
while  John  Ball  worked  a  day  "diging  stone"  for  30  cents. 
A  day's  work  "walling"  was  worth  40  cts  to  another  indi- 
vidual, while  his  pound  and  a  half  powder  cost  him  37  cents. 

A  farmer  is  credited  with  10  bushels  of  corn,  $7.60  one 
year  old  steare  at  $8.00;  and  6  pounds  of  wool  at  25  cents 
a  pound. 

An  ounce  of  lobelia  cost  25  cents  and  of  "hot  drops" 
12^  cents.  For  keeping  one  sheep  over  an  indefinite  period 
he  received  25  cents.  He  also  did  some  carding  and  charged 
25  cents. 

He  sold  Celleb  Westcott  62  pounds  of  hay  for  A-GlA 
cents.  A  pair  of  shoes  cost  Caleb  1.75;  2  cotton  shirts  1.00 
and  a  "Jack  nife"  37  cents.  He  also  bought  half  a  bushel  of 
meal,  68  cts;  a  bushel  of  potatoes,  40  cts  and  borrowed  1/6 
pence  at  a  cost  of  25  cents.  A  flanel  shirt  cost  him  25  cents, 
and  to  wear  over  it  a  west  cut  for  a  dollar.  Two  hundred 
"punkins"  cost  him  $3.00,  and  another  pair  of  boots  (per 
haps  to  wear  Sundays)  $2.50;  A  Box  coat,  1.00;  a  pair  of 


BLOCK  ISLAM)  ACCOUNTS  111 

trousers,  1.50;  a  silk  handkerchief  75  cts;  and  one  cap  3 
shillings  50  cents.  Sattennet  cloth  and  a  hat  $4.00  seems  to 
ha\'e  outhtted  Caleb  to  the  Queen's  taste,  or  possibly  that 
of  some  other  feniale. 

Caleb's  brother  William  bought  a  "goos  waing"  6J/^ 
pounds  at  5  cts  pll  }3  cts. 

A  pound  of  butter  sold  for  20  cents  and  50  rails  cost  4.50. 

In  1  848  walling  is  worth  50  cents  a  day;  a  bushel  of  corn, 
6  shillings  1 .00  and  a  pig  $2.00.  A  day  of  mowing  is  worth 
$4.00  while  two  days  thrashing  is  worth  onl\'  $  1.00. 

In  1  842  half  a  rod  of  tug  sells  for  $2.50.' 

In  1849  he  either  bought  or  sold  a  gallon  of  oil  and  a 
gallon  of  gin  and  neglected  to  enter  the  cost. 

In  1  847  milk  sold  at  4  cents  a  quart. 

In  1  849  he  charged  his  cousin  $3.00  for  use  of  "my  oxon 
plowing  four  days."  In  the  same  year  we  find  he  sold  a  little 
boat  for  $5.00.  Three  days  thrashing  and  drilling  twenty 
eight  inches  is  worth  78  cents  to  him,  and  a  quintle  of  fish 
1.50.  Cheese  was  cheap  at  38  cents  for  6  pounds,  but  3 
pounds  of  sugar  cost  25  cents,  and  50  cents  bought  a  gallon 
of  gin. 

"On  Satterday  October  the  5th  D  1  844.  I  shiped  on  board 
the  Sloop  Essex  of  Faal  Ri\'er  from  fall  n\'er  Bound  to 
New  York  Capt  Ben  Smith  Comander."  "thursda\'  October 
the  21  1844  I  tuck  m\-  discharge  and  frid\-  No\'ember  the 
22  1844  I  shipped  on  Board  the  Schonah  Yantic  Capt. 
Staples  Comander." 

In  1851  a  hoe  cost  92  cents,  same  as  "one  Sith";  (  scxthe  ) ; 
a  "pare  of  suspenders"  14  cts;  3  quarts  of  mollases  and  rake 
were  charged  at  44  cents.  A  gallon  of  mollasses  and  a 
pound  of  coffee  38  cents;  half  a  pound  of  soda  and  one 
head  "to  Backer"  for  16  cents,  while  3^  "to  Backer"  was 
charged  at  .14  cents. 

"September  the  8th  AD  1869  was  the  Day  of  great 
calamit}'  with  a  gale.   Southeast." 

"Boddy  exercise  prohth  a  little  but  goodliness  is  profH- 
table  unto  all  men." 


112  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Hoyle  Gravestones 

The  Hoyle  gravestones,  now  in  the  museum  of  the 
Rhode  Island  Historical  Society,  were  presented  some 
years  ago  by  Mrs.  George  W,  Carr  and  her  sister,  the  late 
Mrs.  Benjamin  D.  Weeden,  descendants  of  Dr.  Hoyle. 
The  inscriptions  on  the  stones  are  as  follows: 

In  Me  mory  o 

Docter  John  Hoyle  Gentelman  o 
April  ^^^  4*^  1685  in  town  of  Burv  of  Lancasle 
in  Oldengland  Dec^.  1  7 

In  Memory  of  M""^  Deborah     Wife 
Doct''  John  hoyle  born  in  Boston  M 
ye  4th  "1595  De^d   December  y^  29 
In  Memory  of  M*"*  Lvsm  oin 
Doct''  John  hoyle  born  Melton 
October  y^  1  7'"'^  1  727  Aged  42  y 
In  Memory  of  M''^  Mary  Wi 
Doct''  John  Hoyle  born  in  Mo 
August  tlie  3ot'^'  1684  Dec^ 
ye  Iph  1742 
F  Hoyle  hope  & 
Wies  lived  & 


John  Hoyle 
In  Memory  of  Capt". 
Richard  Hoyle  Esq''  Son 
of  Capt.  John  Hoyle  &  De 
borah  his  Wife  born  y*^ 
1  pl'  of  March  1719,  &  Died 
November   3^,   1752.    We 
John  Hoyle  &  M''^  Mary 
his  Widow  Believe  he  Liv 
ed  &  Died  in  y^  Lord.    We 
say  with  Job,  y^  Lord  gave 
&  y^  Lord  hath  taken  away 
to  himself.    Blessed  be  the 
Name  of  the  Lord.    Amen 


NEW    PUBLICATIONS  113 

The  coat  of  arms  on  the  Hoyle  stones  was  illustrated  and 
described  in  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society  Collec- 
//o«j,  April  1928,  p.  73. 

New  Publications  of  Rhode  Island  Interest 

Roger  IVilliamSy  Ne'ii'  England  Firebrand^  by  James 
Ernst  is  a  volume  of  538  pages,  published  in  September  by 
the  Macmillan  Company.  Articles  by  Mr.  Ernst  on  Roger 
Williams  have  appeared  in  recent  issues  of  the  Rhode 
Island  Historical  Society  Collections. 

Mayflo'-jcer  Index,  compiled  by  William  A.  McAuslan 
of  Providence,  a  work  of  1250  pages,  has  been  published  in 
two  volumes  by  the  General  Society  of  Mayflower 
Descendants. 

An  article  on  the  Ray  family  of  Block  Island  by  G.  A. 
Moriart\-,  F.  S.  A.,  appeared  in  the  July  1932  issue  of  the 
A^.  E.  li.  ^  G.  Register. 

Old  Time  Nezv  England  for  April  1932,  contained  an 
illustrated  article  on  the  European  railway  carriages  that 
were  used  on  the  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad  from 
1868  to  1878. 

Genealogical  and  Biographical  Records  of  Anierican 
Families^  Hartford,  1932,  contains  articles  on  the  Corliss 
and  Shefiield  families. 

The  AV"::'  E.ngland  Quarterly  for  July  1932  contains 
two  articles  of  local  interest;  Wars  of  the  Greeks  at  Broivn 
by  William  T.  Hastings  and  Letters  to  Dr.  Cha>ining  on 
Slavery  and  the  Annexation  of  Texas,  1837  by  l^'ulmer 
Mood  and  Granville  Hicks. 

Early  .Inierican  Textiles  by  Francis  Little,  The  Century 
Co.,  New  York,  1931,  contains  many  references  to  Rhode 
Island  and  three  illustrations  from  the  museum  of  the 
Rhode  Island  Historical  Society. 

A  Century  of  Scholars,  Rhode  Island  Alpha  of  Phi  Beta 
Kappa,  1830-1930,  edited  by  William  T.  Hastings,  is  a 
volume  of  227  pages. 


114  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Autograph  Letters  and  Documents  of  George  IVashing- 
ton,  nozv  in  Rhode  Island  CoUect'tons^  was  published  by 
State  Bureau  of  Information,  Howard  W.  Preston,  Direc- 
tor, 171  pages,  illustrated. 

The  Seventy-fifth  Anniversary  of  the  Peace  Dale  Con- 
gregational Churchy  1 S57-1  'J32y  by  Caroline  Hazard,  was 
issued  as  a  pamphlet  of  -1-2  pages. 

Two  interesting  and  scholarly  notes  of  great  importance 
to  American  genealogists  seeking  to  trace  "royal  descents" 
appear  in  the  October  1932  issue  of  7V;<?  American  Gene- 
alogist under  the  title  of  Ro\al  Ancestry  and  Kings  of 
Ireland. 

New  York  History  for  October  1932  contains  an  article 
on  Elkanah  Watson,  A  Man  of  Affairs. 


S.  E.  M.  in  the  Nezv  England  Quarterly  for  April,  com- 
menting on  historical  society  activities  wrote:  "This  last 
criticism  does  not  apply  to  the  Rhode  Island  Historical 
Society.  They  publish  relatively  little:  but  the  quality  of 
their  articles  and  the  value  of  their  documents  may  chal- 
lenge comparison  with  those  of  anv  historical  publication 
in  the  United  States." 


Seals  of  Rhode  Island  Admiralty  Courts 

By  Frederick  Bernays  Wiener 

During  the  course  of  an  examination  of  the  vice- 
admiralty  papers  in  the  Rhode  Island  archives,  enough  im- 
pressions of  seals  were  seen  so  that  the  complete  inscription 
could  be  pieced  together.  It  reads,  "S  I  G:A  D  M  I  R: 
PRO\TN:MASS:ET:NOV:HANT:IN:NOV:ANGL*" 


MILITARY   \V ARRANT  OF    1778  115 

Compare  Einhlems  of  Rhode  Island.,  p.  69.  This  seal  was 
current  while  the  Rhode  Island  court  was  heki  by  a  Deputy 
Judge  under  the  Judge  in  Boston.  Whether  a  new  seal  was 
cut  when  John  Andrews  was  appointed  Judge  Commissary 
for  Rhode  Island,  in  October,  1758,  and  the  court  became 
independent  of  the  one  in  Massachusetts,  cannot  be  known 
until  and  unless  more  papers  from  the  later  period  are 
found.  At  present  only  a  very  few  have  reappeared. 

The  state  court  for  the  tibial  of  maritime  causes,  estab- 
lished in  March,  1776,  and  reconstituted  as  a  court  of  ad- 
miralty with  instance  jurisdiction  in  July,  1780,  seems  to 
have  had  no  seal  as  such.  The  one  used,  probably  that  of 
Judge  John  Foster,  shows  a  lion  rampant  on  a  shield  with- 
out any  lettering  or  inscription.  This  seal  was  used  in  1  777 
in  the  presence  of  John  Foster  (  Bernon  Papers)  but  it  had 
previously  been  used  in  1767  and  1772  aw  bonds  to  Beriah 
Brown  (  Beriah  Brown  Papers  in  R.  I.  Hist.  Soc.  library ). 


Military  Warrant  of  1778 

From  the  original  nia/iiiscript  ozi'iied  h\  Arthur  H .  Arnilngton 

Providence  27  Jul}'  1778 


Sii 


You  are  to  proceed  to  the  widow  Ruttenburgh — 
to  purchase  all  the  Boards  &  plank  you  Can  &  if 
you  Cant  purchase  Seize  all  that  you  may  hear  of  within 
Ten  miles  of  this  Town — 

By  Order  of  Genl  Sullivan  Silas  Talbot  Major 

To  Capt  Elijah  Bacon 

NB  the  above  warrant  to  Remain  in  force  for  three 
davs  &  no  Longer 


116  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


Fort  Flags 

The  flags  flown  on  British  forts  after  1661  were  Union 
flags.  The  early  pictures  of  New  York  made  in  1664,  1679 
and  1717  respectively,  show  the  Union  flag  as  the  fort 
flag.  It  is  not  definitely  known,  however,  what  flag  was  used 
as  the  fort  flag  in  America  before  1661.  Capt.  John  Smith 
shows  the  St.  George  flag  flying  at  St.  George's,  Bermuda, 
in  his  General  History  written*  in  1626  and  printed  in 
1632,  and  on  July  8,  1665,  Capt.  John  Wentworth  of  Ber- 
muda set  up  the  St.  George  flag  on  the  fort  at  New  Tor- 
tola.  This  use  of  the  St.  George  flag  by  a  Bermudian  in  1 665 
would  seem  to  be  due  to  the  fact  that  changes  occurred  later 
in  the  colonies  than  in  England  and  would  seem  to  point  to 
the  probability  that  the  St.  George  flag  was  often  used  as 
the  fort  flag  especially  in  the  colonies  before  1661. 

Apparently  the  red  ensign  was  used  as  a  fort  flag  as  well 
as  an  infantry  flag  in  Massachusetts  Bay  in  1634.  In  1636  it 
was  suggested  that  the  King's  arms  be  put  into  the  flag  to  be 
flown  at  Castle  Island,  the  fort  in  Boston  Harbor.  The  idea 
seems  to  have  been  to  put  the  royal  arms  in  the  canton  of 
the  red  ensign  in  place  of  the  cross  which  had  been  removed. 
It  is  possible,  of  course,  that  the  St.  George  flag  had  been 
flown  at  Castle  Island  and  that  when  the  crosses  were 
removed  from  the  militia  ensigns,  the  cross  was  also  taken 
from  this  St.  George  flag,  leaving  a  plain  white  flag  on 
which  the  King's  arms  might  be  placed.  This  new  flag  was 
not  made  and  for  a  while  no  flag  was  flown  at  the  castle. 
After  the  trouble  over  the  cross-less  flag  in  May  and  June, 
1 636y  the  authorities  had  the  King's  Colors  spread  at  Castle 
Island.  Colors  at  this  time  meant  ensign,  and  the  applica- 
tion of  the  name  King's  Colors  to  the  Union  flag  seems  to 
have  occurred  during  the  reign  of  George  II  upon  the  reor- 
ganization of  the  army  colors  in  1743.  On  June  14,  1676, 

*The  plate  is  said  to  have  been  made  in  1624. 


FORT  FLAGS  117 

during  King  Philip's  War,  the  General  Assembly  of  Rhode 
Island  ordered  the  King's  Colors  to  be  set  up  at  the  garrison 
house  in  Providence. 

Miss  Grace  Macdonald  of  the  Rhode  Island  State 
Archives  has  discov^ered  the  following  items  in  the  State 
Archives  in  regard  to  the  flags  used  at  Fort  George,  New- 
port, R.  I.  These  items,  although  referring  particularly  to 
Rhode  Island,  are  doubtless  typical  of  all  of  the  thirteen 
original  colonies.  The  prices  are,  of  course,  in  the  depre- 
ciated paper  currencv  of  the  times. 

H.  M.  C. 
I 

"Fort  George,  Dr.  to  John  Brown,  Feb.  16,  1736/7. 
To  393/>  yds  of  find  Scarlet  buntin  d/        £11:17 
To  1 90 y2  yds  of  blue  &  white  buntin  d  4/6  24:12.9 

£36:9.9" 
II 

"V^oted  and  resolved  that  the  Account  of  John  Brown 
amounting  to  Twenty  nine  Pounds  seventeen  Shillings  & 
nine  pence  for  a  new  Pendant  and  other  necessaries  supplied 
Fort  George  be  allowed  and  paid  out  of  the  General  Treas- 
ury." (R.  I.  Col.  Rec.  1729-1 745,  p.  506.) 


Ill 

"Fort  George,  Dr. 
1739  Oct-  12. 

To  58  Cordage  at  20^^ 

To  Line  8   6  4  scanes  Hous.  at  2/ 

Nfiv''  ^'^  Tfi  n   T  inp 

£4.16.8 
16.6 

7 

To  a  Flagg  120>'^^  at  4/6 

To  making  Oznabrigg  &c 
To  a  Pendant  40>'^' 
"  making  &c 

-  27. 
2.18. 

10.  6. 

£45.19.2 
Newport  Dec'-  1  739  Except  Errors 
Sam  Vernon" 


118  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

IV 

"Colony  of  Rhode  Island  for  Fort  George 
to  Weeden  &  Bennett 

1750 

July  4  To  79^4  yd  of  Bunting  («  14s  £  55-  9-6 
To  47  yd'ditto  (r/   12s  28-4-0 

To  thread  &  oznebrigs  1  :  10:0 

To  Making  a  Flagg  10:    0:0 


£95:   3:6 


Newport  Sept.  6,  1750" 


V 

"Colony  of  Rhode  Island  to  Weeden  1^  Bennett,  Dr. 

1752  )  To  Bunting  &  making  a  pend-  £28.2 

October  3  f       ant  for  Fort  George   -   -  - 

1  753             To  Ditto  6.  making  a  Flagg      87. 1  3- 
Mav  2  for  Ditto 


£  115.15-" 
VI 

"Colony  of  Rhode  Island  to  Weeden  &.  Bennett 

1754 

May  23  To  bunting  &  making  a  pendant 

for  Fort  George  £  34:   6" 

VII 

It  appears  that  the  flags  and  pendants  flown  at  Fort 
George  did  not  last  very  long  and  often  had  to  be  renewed. 

At  a  Council  of  War  held  at  Newport  in  1757  it  was 
"farther  voted  &  ordered  that  a  White  Flag  with  the  Union 
described  in  the  Canton  at  the  Upper  Corner  thereof  near 
the  Staff  be  procured  for  the  Ward  Houses  And  that  when 
Three  large  Ships  or  Five  Top-Sail  vessels  shall  be  per- 


FORT  KI.ACS  119 


ceived  from  s^*  House  approaching  the  Harbour  the  said 
White  Flag  shall  be  hoisted  as  a  Signal  to  the  Fort."  This 
Item  shows  the  use  of  the  white  ensign,  (  which  at  this  time 
was  sometimes  called  the  St.  George  Flag*  )  as  a  signal  flag 
in  Rhode  Island. 


VIII 

"Co]on\-  of  Rhode  Island  to  Job  Bennett  Jr.  Dr. 

1  762      To  Bunting  &  making  a  Pendant)       ^ 
Aug.  6  for  Fort  George  Deld  Capt.  Read  |       ^^'^^ 


IX 

"Colony  of  Rhode  Island  to  Job  Bennett 
1  768  Juh-  8   For  a  Pendant  1  7  yds  long  &  2  yds 

wide  for  Fort  George  £5_8_io" 


X 

"Colony  of  Rhode  Island  to  Job  Benjiett 
1  770   June  4  To  Bunting  and  making  an  union 
for  the  Pendant  at  Fort  George 
and  mending  the  same  i_9_i.i^ 

July  20  To  953X  yd  Bunting  (ry   16  7-3-3 

3^  ounces  thread  35 '' 
line  35      Tow  Cloth  75/  0-5-0^^4 

making  a  Flag  for  Fort  George    0-15-0 


9-12-5>-^ 
17  Sept.  1770" 


*Not  to  be  confused  with  the  flag  having  a  red  cross  and  white  field 
which  w-as  called  the  St.  George  flag  in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 
centuries. 


120  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

XI 

"1772   May   13    Colony  of  Rhode  Island  to  Job 
Bennett  Dr. 
To  Bunting  thread  oznebrigs  and 
making  a  pendant  for  Fort  George 
2  yds  wide  &  1 7^  yds  long. 
Delivered  the  Gunner  £3:18:7" 


XII 

"Colony  of  Rhode  Island  to  Job  Bennett  for  Fort 
George 

1772   Oct.  21   to  86K' yd  Bunting  (r/   1/6        £6-  9-9 
to  thread  Ficklingburg  a  line 
and  making  a  Union  Plagg  19-9 


£7-  9-6 


1772   Oct.  30" 


XIII 

"Colony  of  Rhode  Island  to  job  Bennett 

1774  ' 

Oct.  20   to  44^  yd  of  Bunting  (a  1/6    3-  6-9 
to  thread  &  Fublingburgh  1-6 

to  makeing  a  pendant  for  Fort 
George  2 1  yd.  long  &  2  yds  wide 
with  a  Union  at  the  head  8-0 

£3-16-3 

May  2,  1775" 


121 


The  Minutes  of  the  Westconnaug  Purchase' 

Tnniscyihed  by  Theodore  G.  Foster 
Asscjciation  for  Purchasing  Westquanaug 

June  the  8"'  1678.  WE  whose  Names  are  hereto  sub- 
scribed being  all  all  and  every  of  us  jointly  concerned  in 
Purchases  of  Land  called  Westquanaug"  bounding  upon  the 
West  Line  of  Providence — one  of  which  said  Purchases 
was  made  and  purchased  by  M'^'  William  Vaughn  late  de- 
ceased his  Friends  and  Associates — other  by  Mr.  Zachariah 
Rhoods  and  Mr.  Robert  W^estcoat — The  Deeds  of  Sale  or 
Sales  thereof  bearing  Date  May  the  8*''  1662  and  Septem- 
ber 23*'  1 662  &c  as  appears  by  Articles  of  Agreement  made 

^The  Minutes  of  the  Association  for  purchasing  Westquanaug  are 
copied  from  a  650-page  letter  book  of  Theodore  Foster.  The  volume 
consists  mostly  of  copies  of  letters  written  by  him  and  received  by  him. 
However,  interspersed  throughout  the  whole  volume  are  copies  of  Bible 
records,  genealogical  sketches  of  various  families  and  notes  on  historical 
matters. 

Mr.  Foster's  handwriting,  at  times  hurried  and  indistinct,  makes  the 
task  of  transcribing  sixteen  pages  (8  x  12)  of  closely  written  words  and 
lines  a  real  undertaking,  and  to  make  the  task  the  greater,  the  volume  has 
been  misused  and  has  at  some  time  in  the  past  been  used  for  a  plant  press 
by  some  youthful  botanist. 

The  volume  was  brought  to  Michigan  in  1863  by  his  son,  Theodore 
Raepth  Foster,  who  resided  in  Lansing,  Michigan.  Incidentally  all 
printed  mention  of  Theodore  R.  Foster  and  Maxwell  S.  Foster  in  geneal- 
ogies refer  to  them  as  Theodore  Foster  and  Maxwell  S.  or  Maxwell 
Steward  Foster,  whereas  in  the  letter  book  are  copies  of  letters  written  by 
Theodore  to  his  own  relatives  stating  how  and  why  he  named  them 
Theodore  Raepth  and  Maxwell  Stewardelphomb. 

Theodore  G.  Foster 

"Westquanaug,  now  usually  spelled  Westconnaug,  was  a  tract  of  land 
comprising  nearly  the  southern  half  of  the  present  town  of  Foster  and 
that  part  of  the  town  of  Scituate  which  lies  south  of  the  north  branch  of 
the  Pawtuxet  River.  The  north  line  of  the  Westconnaug  Purchase  is 
shown  on  a  map  of  Foster  drawn  bv  Theodore  Foster  in  1  799  and  on  file 
in  the  R.  I.  H.  S.  Manuscripts,  \"o'l.  \'I1,  No.  1409. 


122  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

and  Signed  by  the  Persons"  therein  concernd  Datd  Septem""- 
the  29*'''  1 662  DO  by  these  Presents  oblige  and  engage  our- 
selves in  the  said  Articles  following  /viz/  First  it  is  ordered 
and  jointly  agreed  on  by  in  that  John  Fones  shall  be  Clerk 
to  the  Company — Secondly  it  is  orderd  and  jointly  agreed 
on  by  the  said  Company  that  Mr.  Caleb  Carr  Mr.  Jeremiah 
Clark  Mr.  Hugh  Mosher  and  John  Phones  are  authorised 
and  by  these  Presnts  We  do  give  unto  them  full  Power  and 
Authority  to  and  in  our  Behalf  for  the  maintaining  justify- 
ing and  defending  our  just  Rights  and  Property  in  our 
aforesaid  Purchases  above  premisd  and  call  to  an  Account 
any  Person  or  Persons  that  are  concernd  in  the  aforesaid 
Purchase  of  what  Monies  is  due  from  them  to  the  Company 
and  also  to  deal  with  Samuel  Reape  about  a  Deed  of  Sale 
which  he  doth  obstinately  detain  in  his  Hands  belonging 
to  the  Company:  and  to  all  Matters  relating  to  the  Propa- 
gation and  Vendication  of  our  aforesaid  Purchases  &c — 
Thirdly  It  is  ordered  that  the  Deed  of  Sale  baring  Date 
May  the  8'''  1 662  with  a  Writing  of  Articles  &  other  Papers 
to  the  Number  of  Thirteen  shall  be  left  in  the  Hands  & 
Custody  of  Mr.  Caleb  Carr  until  the  Company  sees  Cause 
to  demand  them  or  otherwise  to  dispose  of  them — •F'ourthly 
It  is  agreed  on  jointly  amongst  us  that  Mr.  Caleb  Carr 
Senior  shall  have  an  equal  Share  in  the  Purchase  above 
specified  without  any  Referrence  to  a  Share  belonging  to 
his  Wifes  First  Husband* 

Fifthly  It  is  agreed  upon  that  William  Foster  is  accepted 
of  by  the  Company  in  the  Room  and  by  the  consent  of  Capt 
Richard  Morris 

Sixthly  Emanuel  Case  appearing  in  Behalf  of  those  which 
are  concerned  in  that  Share  of  Land  in  the  aforesaid  Pur- 
chase which  did  belong  to  his  Father  doth  Engage  as  the 


■'Moosup,  otherwise  known  as  Pcssacus  and  Quissucquansh,  was  the 
Indian  sachem  who  sold  the  land  according  to  the  Petition  of  1711. 
(See  note  13.) 

■'John  Pinner.  Sarah,  the  daughter  of  |erem\'  Clarke,  married  first 
John  Pinner  and  secondly  Caleb  Carr.  (Austin  p.  +5.) 


WESTCOXXAUC,  PURCHASK  123 

Rest  of  the   Company  doth   and   is  accepted   of  by  the 

Company 

Seventhly  It  is  orderd  and  jointly  agreed  on  that  John 

Fones  is  accepted  of  to  have  that  Share  of  Land  which  did 

belong  to  Mr.   Nathaniel  Johnson  which   he  bought  of 

Mr.  Abell 

Eightly  It  is  orderd  and  agreed  on  that  Weston  Clarke  and 

John  Crandal"  shall  each  of  them  have  a  Share  of  I>and  in 

the  aforesaid  Purchase. 

Andrew    Langxvorth}"    for  Thomas  Clark  [ohn  Cranston 

Thomas   Dring        William  Foster  Caleb  Carr 

Weston    Clarke  Hugh   Mosher  for  Clement  Weaver 

Hugh   Mosher  for  his  Son  Aaron  Da\'is  Thomas 

John   Mosher        |ohn  Fones  Hugh  Mosher 

Latham  Clarke  Shubal  Paynter 

James     .     .  Clement  Weaxer   fn'' 

Whereas  WK  Caleb  Carr  Jeremiah  Clarke  Hugh 
Mosher  and  John  Fones  being  deputed  and  chosen  by  the 
Major  Part  of  the  Company  concerneci  in  purchasing  Land 
called  by  the  Name  of  Westc^uanauge  to  act  and  order  all 
Matters  relating  to  the  Propagation  of  the  aforesaid  Pur- 
chases as  appears  bv  Articles  under  their  Hancis  made  the 
8**'  of  June  1678 

WE  being  met  together  this  1 2"'  of  June  1  678  DO  order 
and  Declare  as  followeth- — -First  it  is  orderd  by  the  Major 
Part  of  us  that  Mr.  Caleb  Carr  shall  be  the  Treasurer  to 
the  Compaiu' 

Secondh'  It  is  orderd  that  all  persons  that  are  concernd 
in  the  said  Purchases  and  have  not  paid  the  full  of  the 
First  Payment  for  their  Part  of  said  Purchase  shall  within 
Twent}'  Dav's  after  the  Date  hereof  bring  in  his  or  their 
full  Pa\ment  of  what  is  due  unto  the  Treasurer  otherwise 
shall  forfeit  his  whole  Right  in  said  Purchase  to  the  Rest 
of  the  Company-  .  .  The  First  Payment  is  £  4  .  .  0  .  .  0  in 
country  Pa\- 


•''John   Crandall   sold    part   or   all   of    his  share   to  George    Lawton   on 
December  !  2,  1682.    (R.  I.  Land  Fv.  IH,  224) 


124  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Thirdly  It  is  orderd  that  M''-  Caleb  Carr  and  John  Fones 
are  authorised  to  go  and  treat  with  Samuel  Reape  about  a 
Deed  of  Sale  he  hath  in  his  Custody  belonging  to  the 
Company 

Fourthly  It  is  orderd  that  there  shall  be  Notice  Given 
unto  all  Persons  concernd  in  the  aforesaid  Purchases  to 
appear  before  us  to  give  a  due  and  just  Account  of  what 
Money  they  have  paid  or  disbursed  upon  account  of  the 
said  Purchases  within  Twenty  Days  after  the  the  Date 
hereof 

Fifthly  It  is  ordered  that  the  Companv  shall  meet  the 
22'^-  of  This  Instant  at  the  House  of  NF'  Caleb  Carr  .  .  .  The 
above  written  order  made  by  Us  June  1 2^'''  and  Signd 

p''  John  Phones     Clerk  to  the  Company 


Rec''  by  M''  Caleb  Carr  Treasurer  of  Lawrence  Springer 
upon  the  Account  of  his  Share  in  the  Purchase  of  West- 
quanaug  27  lb  of  Sheeps  Wool .  .  . 

Rec'''  of  Philip  Tabor  Thirteen  Shillings  in  Money  upon 
the  Account  of  his  Share  of  Westquanaug 

Rec'''  of  Shuball  Paynter  for  the  Account  of  a  Share  of 
Land  of  Westquanaug  the  Sum  of  Three  Pounds  in  Money 
and  if  he  proves  the  Purchase  already  paid  before  that  then 
he  is  to  have  his  Money  again 


At  a  Meeting  of  the  Trustees  with  some  others  of  the 
Company  concerned  in  Purchase  of  Westquanaug  Do  order 
and  Declare  as  followeth  That  w^hereas  there  was  an  order 
made  the  12''''  of  this  Instant  That  all  persons  concernd  in 
the  aforesaid  Purchases  should  within  Twenty  Days  bring 
his  or  their  full  Payment  of  what  is  due  to  the  Company 
upon  account  of  their  Shares  in  the  said  Purchase  and  there 
being  Several  Persons  that  Do  live  Remote  and  as  We  Sup- 
pose have  not  had  Twenty  Notice  to  provide  for  the  Per- 
formance thereof     WE  therefore  see  cause  to  defer  the 


VVKSTCONXAl'G  PURCHASE  125 

Time  before  prefixed  and  give  Liberty  for  bringing  in  the 
said  Payments  until  the  last  Day  of  October  next  ensuing 
the  Date  hereof  .  .  .  Orderd  as  aforesaid  this  22'''  of 
June  1678 

Signd  per  Order  John  Fones  Clerk 

At  a  Meeting  oi  the  Trustees  before  iu)minated  the  1  9*''' 
of  Deceniber  1679  It  is  orcierd  that  all  Persons  concernd 
in  the  aforesaid  Purchase  shall  ha\'e  Timely  Notice  given 
to  each  of  them  to  bring  in  a  Just  account  unto  the  Treasurer 
of  what  Charge  and  Money  they  have  expendd  or  paid  for 
their  Shares  or  part  in  the  aforesaid  Purchase  and  to  make 
full  Payment  for  their  aforesaid  Shares  or  Part  with  what 
hath  been  already  paid  as  niay  appear  by  their  Accounts  at 
or  before  the  First  Day  of  March  next  ensuing  the  Date 
hereof  that  is  to  pa\'  i'  -I- .  .  0  .  .  0  in  Current  Pa\' 

It  is  also  ordered  that  any  Person  or  Persons  that  are  to 
have  propriet)'  in  the  aforesaid  Purchase  and  have  not  paid 
any  of  the  Sum  above  mentiond  for  their  shares  in  the 
aforesaid  Purchase  viz  £  4  .  .  0  .  .  0  current  Pay  shall  take 
care  to  pay  or  cause  to  be  paid  unto  the  Treasurer  before 
nominated  the  full  Sum  before  mentiond  at  or  before  the 
First  of  March  as  aforesaid  or  otherwise  upon  Neglect 
thereof  shall  forfeit  his  or  their  whole  Right  and  Propriety 
in  the  aforesaid  Purchase 

pr  Order  John  Fones  Clerk 

These  may  Certify  whom  it  may  concern  that  We  John 
Stanton  and  John  Coggeshall  of  Rhode  Island  Do  resign 
any  Right  or  Title  that  we  have  had  to  a  Purchase  of  Land 
calld  Westquanaug  to  the  Purchase  of  said  Tract  a  Witness 
our  Hand  this  27*'^-  of  Septembr  1682 

John  Coggeshall  John  Stanton 

It  is  ordered  that  Weston  Clark  is  received  in  as  a  Pur- 
chaser upon  one  of  the  Shares  that  is  thrown  up  the  27*''' 
of  September  1682 


126  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


The  Company  of  Purchasers  of  the  Land  of  Westquanauge    D""- 
To  John  Fones 

April    the     16''^    1683       To  going  to  make  the  Agreement  be- 
tween Pawtuxet  Men  and  said  Compan\   .  .  Five  Dav  .  .  £0  .  .  6  .  .  0 

March  the    16*'^    1684/5  To  going  to  Pawtuxet  to  meet  the 
Rest  of  the  Trustees  to  consider 
advise  and  determine  about  Settling 
the  Land         Five  Days   ...  "  0  .  .  6  .  .  0 

April  16    168  5       To  going  to  Warwick  to  meet  the 

Trustees       Five  Days   ...  0  .  .  6  .  .  0 

To  Fxpenses  there  2*^'-     6'^'-  (J  .  .  2  .  .  6 

April  20    168  5       To  going  to  Squomakuck  to  treat  with 

the  Indian  Queen""  and  her  Hus- 
band and  others  about  the  Purchases 
Four  days  with  m\'  Fxpenses  on  that 
journev  0  .  1  +  .  .  6 

To  4  Yards  of  Duffil  given  per  Order 
of  the  Trustees  to  the  Indian  Queen 
and  her  Husband  20/  1  .  .  0  .  .  0 


Sup         Contra  Credit 
1683  April   17"'-    By  Money  rec^  of  Weston  Clark  which  was  paid  by 
the  Treasurer  M''-   Caleb  Carr      April   23''-    16S5. 
By   12^'-  Money  Rec^l-  of  Major  Greene  6: 
\V'     |ohn  Whipple 

At  a  Meeting  of  the  Proprietors  of  Westquanauge' ' '  con- 
vened at  the  House  of  M''  Joseph  Smith  of  Kinstovvn  in  the 
Colony  of  Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantation  the 
2 ()'''•  of  February  1706   7 

r'    \'oted  and  orderd  That  Simon  Smith  shall  be  Clerk  of 
the  Company 


"Weunquesh.  See  R.  I.  H.  S.  Coll.  Oct.  1931,  XXIV,  1  59. 

'On  Ma}'  6,  1702  The  General  Assembly  of  Rhode  Island  authorized 
the  creation  of  Westconnaug  as  a  township. 

An  Act  in  answer  to  the  petition  of  sundrv  persons  respecting  the  pur- 
chase of  Wesquanage. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  authority'  aforesaid,  That  alwavs  provided  the  said 
purchase  of  Wesquanage  doth  not  entrench  upon  the  township  of  Provi- 
dence, Warwick,  Greenwich,  Kingstown  and  Westerh';  and  that  it  be  a 
competenc}'  for  the  setting  a  tcjwnship,  that  then  the\"  shall  b\"  virtue 
hereof,  have  full  power  or  libertv  to  settle  a  township  on  their  own 
rights  aforesaid.    (R.  I.  Col.  Rec,  printed,  III,  446.) 


9<I 


WESTCOXNAUG  PURCHASE  127 

\^ned  and  orderd  That  M'-  John  Rhodes  M'-  Malichi 
Rhodes  M'-  Peleg  Rhodes  M""-  Benjamin  Carpenter 
and  Simon  Smith  are  taken  in  Equal  Partners — as  also 
M'-  Nathaniel  Waterman  and  M'-  Thomas  Field  to  be 
equal  Partners  with  the  Rest  of  the  Proprietors  of 
Westquanaug 

Voted  and  agreed  upon  That  all  the  Partners  both  those 
that  are  now  taken  in  and  those  that  were  in  before  shall 
be  at  e(]ual  charges  to  maintain  and  vindicate  the  Right 
of  the  Tand  of  Westquanaug  and  to  stand  by  and  assest 
each  other  in  the  Premises  and  whosoe\'er  shall  be  re- 
miss of  the  said  Partnership  or  shall  neglect  to  pay  his 
Equal  Part  in  paying  and  defraying  the  Charges  that 
may  accrue  concerning  the  said  Premises    He  shall  for- 
feit his  part  in  said  Lands  to  the  Rest  of  the  Partners 
That  no  one  of  the  Company  shall  sell  or  (Otherwise 
convev-  his  part  or  any  Parcel  thereof  to  any  person  that 
IS  not  priviledged  in  the  said  Land  until  such  Time  as 
the  said  Tract  of  Land  is  divided  and  if  any  shall  not 
withstanding  this  Agreement  sell  their  Right  to  any  not 
of  the  Company  Then  the  said  Part\-  so  doing  shall 
forfeit  all  his  Right  and  Priviliges  in  the  said  Land  to 
the  Rest  of  the  Company  and  lose   all    his  Charges 
always  provided  that  those  that  ha\e  con\'e\ed  before 
this  Time  shall   not  be  included  or  i}idenniified  any 
thing  before  written  not  withstanding 
It  is  agreed  that  there  shall  be  one  of  the  Ct)mpan\- 
chosen  to  be  Treasurer  for  the  Conipany  who  is  to  ex- 
pend and  pay  all  reasonable  Charges  that  shall  arise 
concerning  the   Management  of  said  affairs  and  that 
e\'ery  Person  who  has  a  whole  Right  shall  pay  to  the 
Treasurer  hereafter  named  Twenty  Shillings  a  piece 
and  those  that  have  less  than  a  whole  Right  to  pay 
according  to  their  Proportions  after  the  Same  Rate  as 
aforesaid  to  be  paid  to  said  Treasurer  by  the  last  of 
March  next  ensuing  and  We  do  hereby-  appoint  M'- 
John  R hoods  to  be  to  be  the  Treasurer  to  order  said 
Affan"s 


128  RHODE  ISLAND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

5'*'  It  is  agreed  upon  that  there  shall  be  Six  of  the  Company 
chosen  as  Trustees  to  oversee  and  menage  the  said  Con- 
cern in  Behalf  of  the  Rest  of  the  Company  who  shall 
have  Power  or  any  four  of  them  agreeing  to  meet  and 
order  Matters  and  if  they  think  best  for  the  interest  of 
the  Company  to  call  the  whole  Company  together  upon 
any  emergent  occasion  of  which  Trustees  there  are  to  be 
Three  on  the  Island  and  Three  on  the  Main  and  the 
Persons  appointed  are  the  Honourable  Governor  Sam- 
uel Cranston  M'-  Weston  Clark  and  M'-  Robert  Gard- 
ner on  the  Island  and  M"'  John  Rhodes  M'-  Richard 
Greene  and  Simon  Smith  on  the  Main 

6th  That  that  the  said  Trustees  shall  meet  on  the  last  Day 
of  March  next  in  order  to  appoint  a  Surveyor  or  Sur- 
veyors to  lay  out  said  Land  and  that  the  said  Trustees 
shall  be  paid  by  the  said  Treasurer  for  all  their  reason- 
able charges  and  Time  whilest  about  said  Affair  and 
what  Money  shall  be  paid  by  his  Partners  shall  be 
deposited  and  laid  up  by  said  Treasurer  and  expendd 
out  to  defray  all  Charges  as  the  said  Trustees  shall  order 
and  that  the  said  Trustees  or  any  four  of  them  shall 
have  full  Power  to  examine  and  look  into  all  Matters 
that  have  been  transacted  heretofor  in  said  Concern  and 
also  to  have  as  full  Power  to  act  and  do  all  Manner  of 
Things  relating  to  said  Affairs  as  if  the  whole  Company 
had  done  the  same 

John  Rhodes  in  his  own  Behalf  and  for  Malichv  Rhodes 

Simon  Smith  Samuel  Cranston 

Benjamin  Carpenter  Weston  Clark 

Peleg  Rhodes  Robert  Gardner 

Andrew  Harris  Nicholas  Carr 

Israel  Arnold     1  WE  the  above  Subscribers  Do  also 

Elisha  Arnold      -For  one  Right    Sign  on  Behalf  of 
Stephen  ArnoldJ  Jeremiah  Clark 

John  Fones  Hugh  Mosher 

William  Fobes  &  [_     p.    ,  Clement  Weaver  Sen"'- 

John  Pebody         [  '^  Clement  Weaver  Jun'- 

fohn  Rogers  William  Vaughn 

Richard  Greene 
(To  be  co/itinued) 


\ 


Roger  Williams  Press        kvIw^^ 


t 


E.  A.  Johnson  Co. 


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